The Surface Transportation Block Grant Program (formerly the "Regional Surface Transportation Program" or "RSTP") is a federal program that provides states and local jurisdictions with funding for highway improvements, street rehabilitation and transportation enhancements. The Transportation Agency receives an annual apportionment of these funds passed through the State. Because Monterey County didn’t have an urbanized area with a population of greater than 200,000 in the 1990 census, it qualified for the state exchange program, whereby Caltrans keeps the federal Surface Transportation Block Grant Program apportionments for a region and gives the regional agency an equivalent amount of state cash.

The Transportation Agency distributes these funds in both fair-share and competitive programs. Monterey County and the cities receive fair-share funds based on a formula of 50% population and 50% centerline miles. The total fair share allocation over the next three years is $3.6 million.

The Transportation Agency distributes the remaining portion of the funding on a competitive basis to transportation projects based on a variety of criteria, including safety, traffic volume and project readiness.  The competitive grants process starts with a call for projects, which was approved by the Transportation Agency Board at the March 2023 meeting, and the release of grant application materials (more information is included in the Web Attachment). 

With the grant application deadline set at June 1, 2023, staff is seeking to establish an ad hoc committee made up of members of the Bicycle & Pedestrian Committee, Technical Advisory Committee, partner agencies, and Transportation Agency staff to review and rank the applications, and provide funding recommendations to the Transportation Agency Board of Directors. Staff is requesting that at the meeting the Committee nominate up to three members for the grants review committee.