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“Fix-it-First” projects will restore and preserve the state’s existing infrastructure providing a safer and smoother commute for motorists
Caltrans will begin more than 120 new “Fix-it-First” projects this fiscal year (July 2018 – June 2019), replacing, repairing and improving more than 6,700 lane miles of pavement, 250 culverts and 320 bridges across the state, due to funds from Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017. These projects got the green light after the department received almost half a billion dollars of SB 1 funding for new state highway maintenance projects this fiscal year.
“Without the funds from SB 1, some of these projects would be postponed, costing taxpayers a lot more money down the road,” said Caltrans Director Laurie. “It would be like putting Band-Aids on our roads and bridges instead of the long-term repair and repaving projects provided by SB 1.”
Caltrans is planning to use about $400 million in SB 1 funds for new maintenance projects to replace, repair and improve the existing state highway, bridges and drainage systems. Work includes repairing the state highway by eliminating cracks and potholes on roadways; replacing pavement; performing preventative maintenance work to preserve bridges and roads; replacing and repairing culverts/drainage systems to prevent flooding on roadways; widen striping size from four to six inches on roads to increase safety and visibility for motorists. See the attached list for more details.
New SB 1 funded maintenance projects coming to your area include:
Stripe-widening project along Interstate 405 in Los Angeles County: $18 million project will widen striping and increase visibility on 452 lane miles of Interstate 405 from the Orange/Los Angeles County line to I-405/I-5 Separation in the city of Los Angeles in Los Angeles County.
Pavement Preservation project along U.S. Highway 101: $2.6 million pavement preservation project will improve 18.2 lane miles of U.S. Highway 101 from west of Wendy Drive in the city of Thousand Oaks to Arroyo Conejo Creek Bridge in the city of Camarillo in Ventura County.
Bridge project on State Route 14: $3.6 million bridge project will revamp the bridges on State Route 14 near West Avenue Q in the city of Palmdale, at the 223rd Street Overhead on Interstate 405 in the city of Long Beach, and on I-710 south of West Shoreline Drive in the city of Long Beach in Los Angeles County.
Since the passage of SB 1, Caltrans has used SB 1 funds to accelerate more than 120 maintenance projects across the state. So far, Caltrans has completed 42 SB 1 funded maintenance projects, replacing more than 600 lane miles of state highway and improving 33 bridges. By the end of this calendar year, Caltrans is expected to improve an additional 178 bridges and repair or replace an additional 1,200 lane miles. For a complete list and to see an interactive map of SB 1 state and local projects, visit http://www.rebuildingca.ca.gov/.
SB 1 provides an ongoing funding increase of approximately $1.8 billion annually for the maintenance and rehabilitation of the state highway system, including $400 million specifically for bridges and culverts. SB 1 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.
