Measure X provides $160 million to regional transportation projects from the total $600 million expected to be generated from the sales tax measure. This presentation is intended to update Measure X Citizens Oversight Committee members on four regional transportation projects that have been allocated $125 million and are leveraging Measure X Sales Tax funds.
- State Route 156/Castroville Boulevard Interchange
- US 101 South of Salinas
- Scenic State Route 68 Corridor
- SURF! Bus Rapid Transit
Each of these projects has experienced significant progress over the past 3 months. Following is a brief overview of this progress highlighting specific milestones achieved:
State Route 156/Castroville Boulevard Interchange
The State Route 156 / Castroville Boulevard interchange is the first stage of the State Route 156 West Corridor Project between Highway 1 and US 101. The overall project has completed the environmental phase. The State Route 156 / Castroville Boulevard Interchange is currently in the design and right-of-way phase. Caltrans is leading the design with the Transportation Agency providing project management and roundabout design support. The final design plans have been completed.
Current work is focused on obtaining permits from the California Coastal Commission/County of Monterey and the Department of Fish and Wildlife which are expected to be approved in April of this year. This project impacts the Santa Cruz Long-toed Salamander habitat near the Moro Cojo Slough. Senate Bill 1231 allows the Department of Fish and Wildlife to issue a permit for enhanced mitigation of the endangered species. This legislature allows TAMC to implement safety improvements to eliminate collisions and fatalities at an environmentally sensitive location. Staff is working with Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) to identify work that needs to be done related to utility relocation, and this has been a challenging task. Once these outstanding issues are resolved Caltrans anticipates circulating a Request for Bids to select a contractor to construct the project.
US 101 South of Salinas
Back in 2003 a project study report was completed for the US 101 South of Salinas corridor aimed at improving safety and adding road capacity from Abbott Street in Salinas to Main Street in Chualar. The improvements identified in the 2003 document proposed a US 101 bypass that does not align with the preservation of agricultural land and the State's focus on reducing vehicle miles traveled. The Transportation Agency conducted extensive public outreach to identify a new project focused on addressing safety issues using the current alignment of US 101. The new project proposes to upgrade the interchanges at Abbott Street and Main Street in Chualar, and construct a frontage road on both sides of US 101 to eliminate fatal and injury crashes occurring along at-grade highway intersections.
A technical memo updated the 2003 Project Study Report and Caltrans is now developing preliminary designs according to the project's new direction. TAMC staff is organizing an extensive community outreach plan that will allow an opportunity for Chualar residents and adjacent community members to provide insight during the project design process. This is expected to assist designers develop plans that attempt to address specific issues raised by the local community with a goal of building public support during the construction of this important project.
The Federal Highway Administration has earmarked $1 million for the “US 101 Auxiliary Lane - South of Salinas” project. The earmark, sponsored by Congressman Jimmy Panetta and Senator Alex Padilla is included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2023. This auxiliary lane increases the length of the deceleration lane a driver uses to exit US 101 at Spense Road. The auxiliary lane also allows vehicles more space to accelerate as they attempt to enter US 101. This project will address safety issues by allowing vehicles to access US 101 at safe speeds.
Scenic State Route 68 Corridor
Caltrans has completed conceptual designs to replace the nine existing traffic signals between Joselyn Canyon Road to the Salinas River Bridge. One alternative plan will construct roundabouts at each signalized intersection. The second alternative will enhance the existing signalized intersections. Caltrans will be the lead agency and responsible for the preparation of the technical studies and environmental impact report. The Transportation Agency is providing project management and design oversight. The critical path for the project is the certification of the environmental impact report by the California Transportation Commission. The project environmental review has commenced and is expected to be ready for public review by the end of 2023. An extensive public outreach effort is being coordinated with the public review of the draft environmental document. The Transportation Agency is collaborating with Caltrans to identify opportunities to use State Highway Operations and Protection Program (SHOPP) funds to leverage Measure X funding for this project.
SURF! Bus Rapid Transit
The SURF! Busway and Bus Rapid Transit Project is part of a larger effort to build a modern mobility network for the Monterey Peninsula and beyond. The proposed SURF! line is a 6-mile bus-only corridor parallel to Highway 1 along the Monterey Branch line rail right-of-way that links Marina, Sand City, and Seaside. The project includes a new transit hub in former Fort Ord that provides access to California State University Monterey Bay. Several bicycle facility improvements will be constructed as part of the project. The Monterey-Salinas Transit District is leading the project and the Transportation Agency is providing project management support and design oversight.
The design consultants for this project recently submitted the 60% plans and are preparing the 95% plans. Public outreach will be coordinated with the final stages of plan development. MST was awarded a $25 million grant from the State's Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) that will fund a significant amount of the project construction costs. MST recently selected a Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) that has started a thorough review of the current plans. CM/GC is a project delivery method that brings a contractor onto the project team earlier than normal in the hopes of identifying cost reduction strategies and ways to expedite construction.