Special points of interest:

Quarterly Update on Fresno County Projects:

“Caltrans improves mobility across California”

April-May-June 2012

Volume 2, Issue 2

Caltrans Update Fresno Council Of Governments

180 to Northbound 41

Metering System: SR

180/41 Sep. to Flora-

dora Ave. OH and SR

180 from Fresno St. UC

to First St. UC. Construc-

tion began July 2011

and is scheduled for

completion August

2012. Funding is Minor

A Program. Anand Ka-

poor, Project Manager,

(559) 243-3588.

Island Park 6-Lane –

State Route 99: Grant-

land Ave. to Ave. 7. PS&E

(design) sent to HQ-

Caltrans for review Janu-

ary 2012. Landscaping

will be included in pro-

ject. Right-of-way work

continuing. Caltrans met

with PG&E on gas line

issue, and PG&E submit-

ted relocation plans to

Caltrans. Target for con-

struction is Fall 2012.

Jim Bane, Project Man-

ager, (559) 243-3469.

Kings Canyon Express-

way Segment 2 Four

Lane Expressway – State

Route 180: Academy

Ave. to Smith Rd. Pro-

ject is in design and

Right-of-way acquisition.

Continuing design work

and completion of the

appraisal process. Con-

struction scheduled for

Summer 2013. Neil

Bretz, Project Manager,

(559) 488-4115.

Kings Canyon Express-

way Segment 3, Four

Lane Expressway – State

Route 180: Smith Rd. to

Alta Main Canal. In de-

sign phase; right-of-way

phase to begin Summer

2012. Construction is

scheduled for Summer

2016. Neil Bretz, Project

Manager, (559) 488-

4115.

Route 145 Intersection

Improvement Project:

Jensen Ave. Roundabout

concept. Project Ap-

proval & Environmental

Document was achieved

on October 2011.

Roundabout design work

is ongoing. Construction

scheduled for Spring

2014. Suzie Holdridge,

Project Manager, (559)

243-3432.

State Route 180 Braided

Ramps: Between SR 41

& SR 168. Design-Build

project. Project was

awarded and construc-

tion contract was ap-

proved January 2012.

Initial work will concen-

trate on design. Visible

construction activities

anticipated in Summer

2012. Neil Bretz, Project

Manager, (559) 488-

4115.

Route 269 Bridge Pro-

ject: Palmer Ave. to SR

198. Project was

amended into 2010

SHOPP for support cost

only. Local funds will be

used for capital costs.

Project is in environ-

mental and preliminary

design process. Project

schedule has been up-

dated. Neil Bretz, Pro-

ject Manager, (559)

488-4115.

Westside Expressway –

State Route 180 Route

Adoption Study: Extend

SR 180 from Fresno to I-

5. Solutions have been

developed to avoid is-

sues with historical prop-

erties. Final product:

Route Adoption by CTC,

supported by a

CEQA/NEPA Tier 1 Envi-

ronmental Document.

Bob Hull, Project Man-

ager, (559) 243-3443.

Inside this issue:

California Transportation Com-

mission

2

California Interregional Blue-

print

3

Transportation Survey Aims to

Improve Mobility, Job Access,

and Air Quality: The California

Department of Transportation,

in partnership with the Califor-

nia Air Resources Board, the

California Energy Commission,

and local transportation plan-

ning agencies, is conducting a

survey of California residents’

travel behavior. The California

Household Travel survey will

help transportation planners

ensure improved access to

jobs, air quality, and quality of

life in each region of the state.

Participants will receive dia-

ries and are asked trip-related

questions including where and

when they travel and how they

get to and from their destina-

tions. Approximately 57,000

households around the state

are expected to complete the

survey. In addition, a small

sample of households who

choose to participate will be

provided with global position-

ing systems (GPS) or on-board

diagnostic devices to record

their vehicle movements. The

survey will continue through

February 2013. For additional

information, visit http://

www.california travelsur-

vey.com/

Page 2 Caltrans Update

California Transportation Commission (CTC)

The California Transportation

Commission is an independent

public agency dedicated to en-

suring a safe, financially sustain-

able, world-class multimodal

transportation system that re-

duces congestion, improves the

environment, and facilitates eco-

nomic development through the

efficient movement of people

and goods.

The California Transportation

Commission (CTC) was estab-

lished in 1978 by Assembly Bill

402 (Chapter 1106, Statutes of

1977) out of a growing concern

for a single, unified California

transportation policy. The Com-

mission replaced and assumed

the responsibilities of four inde-

pendent bodies: The California

Highway Commission, the State

Transportation Board, the State

Aeronautics Board, and the Cali-

fornia Toll Bridge Authority.

The California Transportation

Commission consists of eleven

voting members and two non-

voting ex-officio members. Of the

eleven voting members, nine are

appointed by the Governor, one

is appointed by the Senate Rules

Committee, and one is ap-

pointed by the Speaker of the

Assembly. The two ex-officio non-

voting members are appointed

from the State Senate and As-

sembly, usually the respective

chairs of the transportation pol-

icy committee in each house.

The Commission is responsible

for the programming and allocat-

ing of funds for the construction

of highway, passenger rail, and

transit improvements throughout

California. The Commission also

advises and assists the Secre-

tary of the Business, Transporta-

tion, and Housing Agency and

the Legislature in formulating

and evaluating state policies and

plans for California’s transporta-

tion programs. The Commission

is an active participant in the

initiation and development of

State and Federal legislation

that seeks to secure financial

stability for the State’s transpor-

tation needs.

The Commission is primarily re-

sponsible for the following activi-

ties:

1. Adopting the biennial five-

year State Transportation

Improvement Program (STIP)

and approving the biennial

four-year State Highway Op-

eration and Protection Pro-

gram (SHOPP).

2. Adopting the biennial five-

year fund estimate of state

and federal funds expected

to be available for the STIP

and SHOPP.

3. Allocating state funds for

capital projects, consistent

with the STIP, SHOPP, Traffic

Congestion Relief Program,

Proposition 116 (Clean Air

and Transportation Improve-

ment Act of 1990), Proposi-

tion 1A (Safe, Reliable High-

Speed Passenger Train Bond

Act of the 21st Century), and

Proposition 1B (Highway

Safety, Traffic Reduction, Air

Quality and Port Security

Bond Act of 2006).

4. Allocating state funds for

capital grants from the Aero-

nautics Account and the En-

vironmental Enhancement

and Mitigation Program

Fund.

5. Adopting guidelines for the

development of Commission

administered programs and

regional transportation

plans.

6. Approving project proposals

for public private partnership

agreements and authorizing

projects for procurement util-

izing the Design-Build Dem-

onstration Program.

7. Determining eligibility of pro-

jects for High Occupancy Toll

lane implementation.

8. Advising and assisting the

Secretary of the Business,

Transportation and Housing

Agency and the Legislature in

formulating and evaluating

state policies and plans for

state transportation pro-

grams.

California Interregional Blueprint

Page 3 Volume 2, Issue 2

The California Interregional Blue-

print

The California Department of

Transportation (Caltrans) is en-

hancing the State’s transportation

planning process to respond to the

challenges of climate change,

population growth, and economic

prosperity. Similar to requirements

for regional transportation plans

under Senate Bill (SB) 375

(Steinberg 2008), SB 391 (Liu

2009) requires the State’s long-

range transportation plan to meet

California’s climate change goals

under assembly Bill (AB) 32.

In response to these statutes, Cal-

trans is preparing a State-level

transportation blueprint to articu-

late the State’s vision for an inte-

grated, multimodal, interregional

transportation system that com-

plements regional transportation

plans and land use visions. The

California Interregional Blueprint

(CIB) will integrate the States long-

range modal plans and Caltrans-

sponsored programs with the lat-

est technology and tools to en-

hance our ability to plan for and

manage the transportation sys-

tem.

The CIB links statewide transporta-

tion goals and regional transporta-

tion and land use plans to produce

a unified transportation strategy.

The CIB will integrate current and

proposed modal transportation

system and strategic plans into a

common framework for analysis.

Caltrans is compiling project

data from State long range plan-

ning documents, as well as pro-

jects from regional transporta-

tion plans (RTPs), to define the

future interregional transporta-

tion system.

The Department will be holding a

summit for transportation stake-

holders on May 23, 2012, in

Sacramento. The summit will be

used to obtain input into the CIB.

The summit will also be webcast

statewide.

California Transportation Plan

The CIB will become the founda-

tion for the California Transpor-

tation Plan (CTP). The CTP is a

statewide, long-range transporta-

tion plan for meeting our future

mobility needs. The CTP defines

goals, policies, and strategies to

achieve our collective vision for

California’s future transportation

system. This plan, with a mini-

mum 20-year planning horizon,

is prepared in response to fed-

eral and State requirements and

is updated every five years. The

current CTP, the CTP 2025, was

approved in 2006 and updated

by an Addendum in October of

2007 to comply with new federal

planning requirements governing

development of the plan.

The next CTP will have a 2040

horizon and is due December

2015 according to SB 391.

The CIB will also integrate the

following State modal plans:

Interregional Transportation

Strategic Plan

The 2011 Interregional Trans-

portation Strategic Plan (ITSP)

will provide guidance for state-

wide transportation system de-

velopments that connects Cali-

fornia’s major urban areas and

regions via highway and passen-

ger rail. This update to the origi-

nal 1998 ITSP will reflect legisla-

tive and policy changes affecting

highway planning, identify route

improvements that have oc-

curred since the 1998 plan, and

address new matters that were

not issues in 1998. This update

does not remove or add routes

as compared to the previous

plan. The 2011 update is ex-

pected to be completed by May

2012.

Rail Plan

The California State Rail Plan

establishes a statewide vision,

sets priorities, and develops im-

plementation strategies to en-

hance passenger and freight

service in the public interest. It

will serve as a basis for federal

and state rail investments within

the state for high speed and

intercity passenger rail. The Rail

Plan will support the State’s

goals of an integrated, multimo-

dal transportation system. This

Rail Plan will be the first plan-

ning document that fully inte-

grates the California high speed

rail system with existing and pro-

posed conventional rail system.

The next draft update of the

Rail Plan will be December

2012.

Freight Mobility Plan

The Department is also updating

(Continued on page 4)

Neil Bretz

Acting Deputy District Director

Planning & Local Programs

P.O. Box 12616

Fresno, CA 93778-2616

Phone: 559-488-4115

Fax: 559-488-4195

E-mail: neil_bretz@dot.ca.gov

Visit us on the web at

www.dot.ca.gov/dist6/

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 6 is headquartered in Fresno. This geographically diverse district is the second largest of the 12 Districts statewide, stretching from the south-ernmost part of Yosemite National Park in the north to the Mojave Desert. It includes Madera, Fresno, Tulare, Kings and Kern counties. Interstate 5 and State Route 99 run the length of District 6, serving as the main north-south arteries for not just the Central Valley, but

for the entire state as well.

Caltrans District 6

We’re here to get you there!

the California Transit Association, is

developing the Statewide Transit

Strategic Plan (STSP). The STSP

will assist the Department and its

stakeholders in reaching consen-

sus on a common mission and de-

fining goals, and in the process

gain a better understanding of pre-

sent and future roles and responsi-

bilities to support public transporta-

tion in the state. The STSP will

assist the Department and stake-

holders in recognizing that transit is

part of the larger transportation

system. The overall goal is to facili-

tate the delivery of cost-effective

public transit that will promote im-

proved mobility, meet global warm-

ing initiatives, job access, and envi-

ronmental improvements. The

STSP is scheduled to be completed

in spring of 2012.

Aviation System Plan

The Department is working with

community leaders to redefine

aviation as a valuable hub of eco-

nomic and civic activity. At the

California Interregional Blueprint

the Goods Movement Action Plan

(GMAP). The GMAP was issued by

the California Business, Transporta-

tion, and Housing Agency (Agency)

and the California Environmental

Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) in two

phases in 2005 and 2007. Cal-

trans expects to partner with

Agency, Cal/EPA, and others on the

Freight Mobility Plan. The Freight

Mobility Plan will address current

conditions, future trends, and major

issues in goods movement across

all modes in the state. It will also

devote more attention to commu-

nity impact issues, take a more in-

depth look at trucking, and more

thoroughly identify the freight needs

of all regions in the state. The next

draft update of the Freight mobility

plan will be May 2013.

Transit Strategic Plan

The Department, in partnership with

the California Association for Coor-

dinated Transportation (CalACT) and

(Continued from page 3)

Information on the development of these latest planning efforts associated with the CIB or the

CTP can be found at the CIB/CTP web portal:

http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/tpp/californiainte

heart of this is an integrated trans-

portation system that quickly

moves goods and people from tra-

ditional downtown cores to avia-

tion-compatible mixed develop-

ments at airports. At no time has

this effort been more important

than with the initial framing of the

CIB, a comprehensive plan to inte-

grate California’s transportation

planning. All of these efforts will

be rolled into publications of the

California Aviation System Plan.