Commission’s Increased Role

In providing this funding, the Legislature has increased the Commission’s role in a number of existing programs, and created new programs for the Commission to oversee.

"This act presents a balance of new revenues and reasonable reforms to ensure efficiency, accountability, and performance from each dollar invested to improve California’s transportation system."

 

As stated in the Legislature’s findings and declarations of SB 1, "this act presents a balance of new revenues and reasonable reforms to ensure efficiency, accountability, and performance from each dollar invested to improve California’s transportation system." SB 1 further states that this comprehensive, reasonable transportation funding package will:

1. ensure transportation needs are addressed,
2. fairly distribute the economic impact of increased funding, and
3. direct increased revenue to the state’s highest transportation needs.

SB 1 creates the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account (RMRA) into which the majority of the revenue from the fuel tax increases in SB 1 flow. Programs funded by this account include the Local Partnership Program, the Active Transportation Program, the State Highway Operation and Protection Program, the State Transportation Improvement Program, and Local Streets and Roads apportionments. SB 1 states that "it is the intent of the Legislature that the Department of Transportation and local governments are held accountable for the efficient investment of public funds to maintain the public highways, streets, and roads, and are accountable to the people through performance goals that are tracked and reported."

Specific to the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Program (the State Highway Operation and Protection Program and Local Streets and Roads apportionments funded from the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account), SB 1 includes the following guidance:

• To the extent possible and cost effective, and where feasible, Caltrans and cities and counties shall use advanced technologies and material recycling techniques that reduce the cost of maintaining and rehabilitating the streets and highways, and that exhibit reduced levels of greenhouse gas emissions through material choice and construction method.
• To the extent possible and cost effective, and where feasible, Caltrans and cities and counties shall use advanced technologies and communications systems in transportation infrastructure that recognize and accommodate advanced automotive technologies that may include, but are not necessarily limited to, charging or fueling opportunities for zero-emission vehicles, and provision of infrastructure-to-vehicle communications for transitional or fully autonomous vehicle systems.
• To the extent deemed cost effective, and where feasible, in the context of both the project scope and the risk level for the asset due to global climate change, Caltrans and cities and counties shall include features in the projects funded by the program to better adapt the asset to withstand the negative effects of climate change and make the asset more resilient to impacts such as fires, floods, and sea level rise.
• To the extent beneficial, cost effective, and practicable in the context of facility type, right-of-way, project scope, and quality of nearby alternative facilities, and where feasible, Caltrans and cities and counties shall incorporate complete street elements into projects funded by the program, including, but not limited to, elements that improve the quality of bicycle and pedestrian facilities and that improve safety for all users of transportation facilities.

Revenues from the Road Improvement Fee are deposited in the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account for three separate purposes:

1. The Public Transportation Account to fund the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program and the State Transit Assistance Program,
2. The State Highway Account to fund the Solutions for Congested Corridors Program, and
3. The Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account to fund various programs.

Recognizing the emphasis SB 1 places on accountability, the Commission incorporated measures in its guidelines for the individual programs to promote efficiency, accountability, and performance from each dollar invested.

The Commission approved an initial SB 1 implementation plan at its May 17, 2017, Commission meeting. Following adoption of the implementation plan, the Commission began the guidelines development process for the new and existing programs under SB 1: the Local Partnership Program, the Local Streets and Roads Program, the Solutions for Congested Corridors Program, the Trade Corridor Enhancement Account, the State Highway Operation and Protection Program, the State Transportation Improvement Program, and the Active Transportation Program.

The development of guidelines included workshops open to state and federal agencies, tribal governments, regional and local agencies, as well as organizations representing environmental, social equity, land-use, business, and interested stakeholder perspectives. As of October 2017, guidelines were adopted and a call for projects was issued for each SB 1 funded program under the Commission’s purview except for the Solutions for Congested Corridors Program. Guidelines for the Solutions for Congested Corridors Program were submitted to the Legislature on November 6, 2017. The Commission anticipates adopting guidelines and issuing a call for projects for this program in early December 2017.