Caltrans has submitted its 2018 State Highway Operations and Protection Program (SHOPP) to the California State Legislature. The four-year program contains nearly 1,000 projects. That equates to $18 billion worth of projects, and over $7 billion more than the 2016 SHOPP, due to the passage of Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), passed by the Legislature one year ago today. These projects are added to the list of thousands of state and local projects already planned, under construction or completed statewide.

“In prior years, we had to postpone projects due to lack of funds but now we are accelerating those projects that are improving our roads, bridges, drainage systems and reducing congestion,” said Caltrans Director Laurie Berman. “We have a long list of projects and road work that needs to get done, and SB 1 funds allow us to get it done, benefiting communities across the state.”

The adopted 2018 SHOPP covers fiscal years 2018-2019 through 2021-2022, and is the state highway system’s “fix-it-first” program that funds safety improvements, emergency repairs, the repair and preservation of the state highway system, and some highway operational improvements. While funding for this program is a mixture of federal and state funds, a significant portion will come from the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account created by SB 1. Caltrans will focus on repairing and rehabilitating the state highway system by improving pavement, bridges, culverts and Intelligent Transportation Systems, which are included in the performance requirements of SB 1.

The 2018 SHOPP is available at http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/transprog/SHOPP/2018_shopp/2018-shopp-adopted-by-ctc.pdf.

Before reaching the State Legislature, the California Transportation Commission (CTC) adopted both the 2018 SHOPP and the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) at its March meeting. Prior to the passage of SB 1, the CTC had to cut and delay $1.5 billion in already planned projects from the 2016 STIP, due to a steady loss of gas tax revenue. With the new funds from SB 1, the state can now move forward with addressing unfunded maintenance needs that have plagued California’s roadways for years.

The 2018 STIP contains $3.28 billion for projects over the next five years. Over $2 billion of the STIP is newly available money for funding future highway, intercity rail and transit improvements throughout California, including new capacity projects. Approximately 75 percent of STIP funds go to local and regional agencies, while the remaining 25 percent goes towards interregional projects that improve highways between cities.

The 2018 STIP is available at http://www.catc.ca.gov/programs/stip/2018-stip/022818_STIP_Staff_Recommendation.pdf.

The CTC also approved Caltrans’ Transportation Asset Management Plan, which establishes 10-year performance targets to guide long-range SB 1 investments.

SB 1 provides an ongoing funding increase of approximately $1.8 billion annually for the maintenance and rehabilitation of the state highway system. These funds will enable Caltrans to fix more than 17,000 lane miles of pavement, 500 bridges and 55,000 culverts by 2027. Caltrans will also fix 7,700 traffic operating systems, like ramp meters, traffic cameras and electric highway message boards that help reduce highway congestion.

For complete details on SB 1, visit http://www.rebuildingca.ca.gov/.