Caltrans added nearly 1,200 lane miles of pavement repair and 66 bridges to its growing list of projects to be delivered sooner than planned, thanks to the imminent influx of revenue from the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (SB 1), the transportation funding and reform package passed in April.

To date, Caltrans has now expedited nearly $5 billion in “fix-it-first” projects since the spring.

“Years of unfunded maintenance needs have plagued our roadways, so Caltrans is expediting projects with the expectation of SB 1 funds coming in November,” said Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. “We are lining up projects that are going to deliver real results for all users of the state transportation system.”

This latest approval of 90 major “fix-it-first” transportation projects, worth nearly $3.4 billion, are part of a list Caltrans submitted to the California Transportation Commission that was voted on at the commission’s October meeting.

Improvements to be made by these projects include improving or replacing 66 bridges; rehabilitating nearly 1,200 lane miles of pavement on highways across the state; repairing more than 300 culverts and drainage systems; and installing nearly 2,400 elements that are part of traffic management systems that help manage traffic and reduce congestion.

Among the projects that received funding allocations were a $49.8 million pavement preservation project that will repair drainage systems, guardrail, and overhead signs and improve 112 lane miles on Interstate 5 from north of Lake Hughes Road Undercrossing to south of Vista Del Lago Road Overcrossing in Los Angeles.

Also accelerated are a $135.9 million pavement preservation project to improve 104 lane miles on Interstate 605 from the Los Angeles/Orange County line to Telegraph Road in Los Angeles County; and a $66.1 million pavement preservation project that will upgrade curb ramps and guardrail and improve 104.9 lane miles on State Route 1 from Topaz Street in the city of Redondo Beach to Dewey Street in the city of Los Angeles.

The projects authorized this week come on the heels of more than $285 million in accelerated existing highway repair projects announced earlier in July, and nearly $901 million in “fix-it-first” projects in August.

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.

Caltrans is committed to conducting its business in a fully transparent manner and detailing its progress to the public.

For complete details on SB 1, visit http://www.rebuildingca.ca.gov/.