LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Caltrans on Tuesday awarded $51.4 million in planning grants for 89 sustainable, climate-resilient transportation projects throughout California to help communities better withstand the impacts of extreme weather events fueled by climate change.
Among those awards was a grant for a zero emission vehicle plan in Lake County.
Caltrans said the selected projects will help reduce planet-warming pollution, improve resiliency of the state highway system, enhance access to safe walkways and bike paths, and expand natural disaster preparedness.
Nearly $29 million comes from one-time state and federal sources made possible by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $15 billion clean transportation package in the 2022-23 state budget to further the state’s ambitious climate goals.
Another $12.4 million comes from Senate Bill 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017. The awards will fund project planning and conceptual design efforts, helping move the projects closer to construction.
“California is at the forefront of planning transportation projects built to help underserved communities withstand the effects of climate change,” said Caltrans Director Tony Tavares. “By working closely with local partners, we can maintain a sustainable, adaptable and resilient transportation system that will serve all Californians far into the future.”
In total, Caltrans will fund:
• $28.8 million in Climate Adaptation Planning Grants – all from Gov. Newsom’s clean transportation infrastructure package – to 30 local, regional and transit agencies to identify transportation-related climate vulnerabilities through the development of climate adaptation plans, as well as project-level adaptation planning to address climate impacts to transportation infrastructure. Ninety-seven percent of these projects will benefit disadvantaged communities.
• $19.2 million in Sustainable Communities Competitive and Technical Grants to 50 local, regional and transit agencies for transportation and land use planning, as well as planning for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. This includes more than $6 million to fund planning for 16 projects that improve safety and access for people who walk and bike. Ninety-two percent of these projects will benefit disadvantaged communities.
• $3.4 million in federally funded Strategic Partnerships Grants to nine projects that will plan for managed lanes, training and certification for local elected officials, comprehensive multimodal corridors, transit network and comprehensive operational analyses, improve interregional ADA paratransit coordination, develop airport passenger transportation recommendations, develop a zero-emissions bus fleet, coordinate multimodal transportation and land use compatibility.
Among the Sustainable Communities Competitive and Technical Grants is the Lake County/City Area Planning Council’s Lake County Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Plan, which will receive $177,060.
The project aims to develop a zero emission vehicle, or ZEV, charging/fueling infrastructure plan. It will allow Lake County to join a larger energy network with neighboring jurisdictions that have already developed an electric vehicle charging network with future expansion, while Lake County’s budget constraints have limited such progress, according to the grant information.
Aligned with the State’s 2021 Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure, the project emphasizes investment in ZEV infrastructure, especially in rural areas. It involves collaboration with local Lake County agencies, including planning and public works, as well as tribal governments, to assess ZEV infrastructure needs and integrate these into land use and planning tools.
The project also is supported by the 2022 Regional Transportation Plan for the Lake County region, which include policies and objectives that support the purpose of this project, including support for planning projects that further greenhouse gas reducing efforts and plans that facilitate a transition to ZEV consistent with Newsom’s executive order N-79-20.
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, Caltrans has awarded 685 planning grants totaling $266 million, and more than 60 percent of those projects have been completed.
SB 1 provides $5 billion in transportation funding annually that is shared between state and local agencies. Road projects progress through construction phases more quickly based on the availability of SB 1 funds, including projects that are partially funded by SB 1.
Find more projects that are building California’s climate-friendly future at https://build.ca.gov/ and https://rebuildingca.ca.gov/.
Lake County zero emission vehicle plan among transportation projects receiving Caltrans grants
- Lake County News reports
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