$23M in California grants to improve climate, bike safety

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Caltrans awarded $23.6 million in planning grants to 58 local projects across California aimed at strengthening climate resiliency and improving safety for bicyclists and pedestrians.

The announcement was made Thursday.

The projects focus on multimodal transportation and improving mobility options for under-resourced communities. Nearly $14 million comes from Senate Bill 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, with the remaining funds from a combination of the State Highway Account, the Federal Highway Administration State Planning and Research program and the Federal Transit Administration’s Section 5304 grant program.

“Every California community deserves an opportunity to shape a safer, healthier and more connected future,” California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin said. “These planning grants will support local leaders and residents in designing transportation solutions that improve quality of life and help make safer connections to community assets, schools and workplaces.”

The awards will fund project planning and conceptual design efforts, helping move the projects closer to construction. The grants are designed to enhance climate resiliency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase natural disaster preparedness throughout California.

“These investments will strengthen California by making it safer and easier for people to move through their communities,” Caltrans Director Dina El-Tawansy said. “By planning for climate-resilient infrastructure, improving access to walking and biking options and supporting under-resourced areas, these projects will help protect people, expand opportunity and build a transportation system that serves everyone.”

Caltrans will fund $20.4 million in Sustainable Communities Competitive and Technical Grants to 49 local, regional, transit agencies and tribes for transportation and land use planning, as well as planning for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. This includes more than $8.7 million to fund planning for 20 projects that improve active transportation safety for multimodal and land use projects, with 86% of these projects benefiting under-resourced communities.

The agency will also fund $3.2 million in federally funded Strategic Partnerships Grants to 9 projects. These projects will plan for long-term multimodal transportation needs, a statewide transportation resource library, railroad corridor crossing safety, multimodal circulation and intersection improvements, transit connectivity, transit service reliability, comprehensive fare analysis, short- and long-range transit planning and Bus Rapid Transit.

Among the funded projects, the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians in Tehama County will receive $256,300 to develop an Active Transportation Plan to enhance safety and connectivity for pedestrians and bicyclists. The City of Richmond will receive $700,000 to advance its Greenway Gap Closure Project, which will create a direct bicycle and pedestrian connection across a network of Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way to improve safety and close travel gaps for thousands of residents in this high-risk area, particularly children, seniors, people with disabilities and transit riders.

Tulare County will receive $180,000 for the Monson-Sultana Complete Street for Enhanced Sustainability Project. This project will develop a comprehensive Complete Streets Plan for the communities of Monson and Sultana to improve connectivity, promote active transportation, increase use of the regional transit system and address safety concerns.

Palmdale will receive $283,000 to fund the completion of the Palmdale Master Bike Plan that will include comprehensive and actionable metrics to implement bicycle transportation, trail and bike lane corridors, complete streets, greenhouse gas emissions reductions and safer routes to schools.

The Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians in Riverside County will receive $593,000 to update their Tribal Land Use Plan, which will modernize zoning, streamline development approvals and integrate climate-resilient transportation and land use design standards for this Salton Sea community.

Caltrans awards transportation planning grants each year through a competitive process to encourage local and regional projects. Applications are evaluated on how projects advance state transportation and climate goals by identifying and addressing statewide, interregional or regional transportation deficiencies on the highway system.

The grant program began in the 2015-16 fiscal year. Since then, 808 planning grants have been awarded totaling $316 million, and more than 73% of those projects have been completed.