California Eminent Domain Report

Good news California:  local projects are continuing to receive federal funding.  Caltrans announced last week that the U.S. Department of Transportation has granted nearly $35 million in TIGER funds to six local and regional projects throughout the state.

The projects receiving funding include:

• East Side Access Improvement Project ($11.8 million): This Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority project will create a network of bike lanes and sidewalks for bicyclists and pedestrians to access the new Regional Connector/1st Central Station in Los Angeles, which is set to open in 2020.

• Willowbrook/Rosa Parks station ($10.25 million): This project will improve several components of the Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station near the Los Angeles community of Watts, which is a major transfer point for many commuters. The LACMTA project will lengthen the Metro Blue Line platform, enhance pedestrian and car access and link existing rail, bike and bus facilities.

• State Routes 57/60 Confluence Project ($10 million):  This realignment project will relieve congestion and improve safety along this regionally and nationally significant goods movement corridor in Diamond Bar and Industry.

• West Sacramento Broadway Bridge Plan ($1.5 million): The grant will complete the environmental documentation phase of a new Broadway bridge crossing the Sacramento River, connecting the cities of West Sacramento and Sacramento. 

• San Francisco Bay Core Capacity Study ($1 million):  This study will evaluate and prioritize a package of investments that expand transit capacity and connectivity to major core San Francisco job centers (Downtown, Civic Center, South of Market and Mission Bay) to account for job and housing growth. 

• Old Town Goleta -- Hollister Complete Street Corridor Plan ($235k): The grant will fund a planning project to develop a Complete Streets Corridor Plan for the redesign of the Hollister Avenue Corridor, with a goal to make streets within the corridor safer and more convenient for all users and all travel modes. 

California has received $1.4 billion in federal funds for transportation over the past 10 years, as local agencies continue to meet federal funding deadlines.  You can find Caltrans' press release here.