As it finalizes a plan to improve transportation between regions throughout California, Caltrans is asking for the public to review the Draft 2015 Interregional Transportation Strategic Plan (ITSP) and offer comments on how California can improve interregional travel in a safe, integrated and sustainable way.

“California is expected to grow to nearly 50 million people over the next decade and a half and we need to not only preserve California’s current transportation infrastructure but invest in new ways to move those growing numbers of people and goods,” said Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. “As we finalize this plan, we welcome the public’s ideas about how we can improve interregional travel safely, efficiently and sustainably.”

The ITSP’s purpose is to be a guiding document for all investment in the interregional transportation system, identifying the best ways to invest in interregional corridors to strengthen California’s economy and livability while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. Regions around the state have been adopting new “sustainable communities’ strategies” that shift investments to provide greater mobility choice. Meanwhile, the state must seek to improve interregional travel in a sustainable way that integrates well with these regional strategies.

The ITSP is an integral component on how Caltrans will connect not just the largest populated economic regions of the state, but also the regions that are experiencing both the fastest economic and population growth. The plan evaluates the basic connectivity and accessibility of the interregional transportation system to ensure all major regions in the state can be reliably accessed. It also goes beyond previous versions, expanding beyond the State Highway System and intercity rail to analyzing the entire interregional transportation system regardless of funding source.

For highways, the state will apply sustainability goals while addressing multimodal interregional transportation. For rail, the state will explore improved integration of rail systems, including the high-speed rail system, to better serve interregional travelers.

The Draft 2015 Interregional Transportation Strategic Plan is posted on the Caltrans System Planning website at www.dot.ca.gov/hq/tpp/offices/oasp/itsp.html and www.caltrans-itsp2015.org/, where the public can also submit written comments and ask questions through June 8, 2015. Written comments or questions can also be submitted via email at HQ.System.Planning@dot.ca.gov.