The Transportation Agency prepares a Regional Transportation Plan every four years, which provides a basis for actions to allocate state and federal funding to transportation projects in Monterey County. The Agency prepares its plan in coordination with the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments, which prepares a Metropolitan Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy (the "Plan) for the tri-county Monterey Bay Area in its role as the federal Metropolitan Planning Organization for this region. These plans outline the Agency’s priorities for meeting future transportation and mobility needs, consistent with the policy goals and objectives adopted by the Board, as well as within the constraints of a transportation revenue forecast over the 20-year planning horizon of the documents. In addition, the Sustainable Communities Strategy integrates land use and transportation strategies that will achieve California Air Resources Board emissions reduction targets.
The Regional Transportation Plan includes three main components: 1) A Policy Element communicating goals and measurable objectives for improving the transportation system, 2) a Financial Element that includes a forecast of revenues over the life of the plan, and 3) an Action Element that includes a list of projects to be funded within the capacity of the funding forecast, which meet the goals and objectives identified in the document. The Regional Transportation Plan does not approve any particular project, but does review the environmental impacts of all proposed projects on a "program level."
Since the passage of SB 375, state law requires that Regional Transportation Plans be consistent with local Sustainable Communities Strategies. Collaborating with AMBAG on a coordinated Regional Transportation Plan/Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy update allows for one Environmental Impact Report to be prepared for all three documents.
To begin development of the plan, AMBAG staff has developed a detailed work program and schedule for the 2045 Metropolitan Transportation Plan / Sustainable Community Strategy that incorporates a variety of planning efforts. In accordance with state and federal guidelines, the 2045 Plan is scheduled for adoption by the AMBAG Board of Directors in June 2022. The Transportation Agency will develop the Regional Transportation Plan update consistent with this timeline.
A number of key inputs and components that will shape the development of a 2045 Plan are highlighted below.
2022 Regional Growth Forecast
The Regional Growth Forecast projects the region's population, housing and employment out to a specified horizon year (in this case, 2045). Work will begin to update the 2018 Regional Growth Forecast, which will be used in the preparation of the 2045 Plan. The expected completion of the draft 2022 Regional Growth Forecast is summer/early fall 2020.
Goals, Objectives and Performance Measures
AMBAG Staff is proposing to retain the same policy goals from the 2040 Plan and focusing on updating the specific performance measures used to evaluate each of the policy goals. Performance measures will allow the agencies to quantify regional goals, estimate the impacts of proposed investments, and evaluate progress over time. The policy goals of the Regional Transportation Plan will be consistent with the goals in the Metropolitan Transportation Plan.
The proposed policy goals include:
- Access and Mobility
- System Preservation and Safety
- Healthy Communities
- Environment
- Social Equity
- Economic Vitality
Environmental Impact Report
AMBAG, in coordination with TAMC and the Regional Transportation Planning Agencies for Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties, is procuring a consultant to develop a joint environmental impact report for the 2045 Plan and the Regional Transportation Planning Agencies’ Regional Transportation Plans. A kickoff meeting with the entire environmental review team is scheduled to be held in October 2019 and the Notice of Preparation is expected to be released in January 2020.
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets
The California Air Resources Board issued new greenhouse gas reduction targets for all 18 regions statewide. For the tri-county Monterey Bay Area, the targets are a 3% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 and a six percent reduction by 2035.
Public Involvement Plan
The Transportation Agency and AMBAG are preparing a public involvement plan that details the various strategies for obtaining input on the development of the various documents. The public involvement strategies will include series of workshops, visualizations, and other means. The 2019 Public Participation Plan is scheduled to be approved by the AMBAG Board of Directors in October 2019.
Transportation Project List
Beginning in 2020, AMBAG will work with the Regional Transportation Planning Agencies, transit operators, and Caltrans, to update the transportation project list for the Plan using the Telus database. Using the Telus database, the staff of these agencies will be able to update information on the projects listed in the 2040 Plan, such as changes to cost estimates and project phasing, as well as to add new projects or delete projects that have been completed.
Next Steps
AMBAG staff will continue to develop the initial components of the 2045 Plan, working with the Planning Directors Forum, Technical Advisory Committees, partner agencies and key stakeholders, including the Transportation Agency for Monterey County.