SACRAMENTO – California is making significant headway in prioritizing funding for sustainable transportation projects one year after adopting a new climate action strategy, according to a draft report released today by the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA).
The first annual report details the state’s progress in implementing the Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure(CAPTI), which CalSTA adopted in July 2021 as part of a redoubled commitment to invest billions of discretionary transportation dollars annually to aggressively combat and adapt to climate change while supporting public health, safety and equity. CAPTI builds on executive orders signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2019 and 2020 targeted at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in transportation – which account for more than 40 percent of all emissions – to reach the state’s ambitious climate goals.
CAPTI lists 34 key action items for aligning California’s discretionary investments in transportation infrastructure with the state’s goals to rapidly cut greenhouse gas emissions. In the first year, the state completed or made substantial progress on 88% of the actions.
“Now more than ever before, the climate crisis is directly impacting the health, environment and safety of all Californians. California is proud to lead by transforming our transportation investments to be part of the solution,” said CalSTA Secretary Toks Omishakin. “As stewards of the state’s transportation network, we must do our part to reduce pollution from the transportation system and safeguard our infrastructure from the worsening effects of climate change. This plan and our progress on implementation demonstrates California’s continued commitment to equitable climate leadership.”
Among the key early accomplishments in implementing CAPTI actions include:
- Committing $150 million in the recently enacted state budget to a newly established Highways to Boulevards pilot program to support reconnecting communities and $1.05 billion to the Active Transportation Program to expand safe walking and biking options.
- Aligning program guidelines for the Solutions for Congested Corridors Program, the Trade Corridor Enhancement Program, and the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program with statewide climate goals to prioritize multimodal, zero-emission, and pro-housing projects as well as strengthening the community engagement processes.
- Including nine new multimodal projects in the Interregional Transportation Improvement Program, including four programmed and four reserve rail projects and one active transportation project.
CalSTA will continue to issue a yearly report updating its progress implementing CAPTI actions, complete with metrics and data. CalSTA was accepting public comments on the draft CAPTI Annual Report through November 3 and hosted a webinar on the draft annual report at 1 p.m. October 6. Comments can also be submitted to capti@calsta.ca.gov.
CalSTA will review all feedback and written comments carefully and will update the report as appropriate before publishing a final version of the annual report in December 2022.
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