New legislation accelerates stimulus funding for California transportation projects

Continuing his push to create jobs through infrastructure-based investment, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger March 30 signed into law new legislation (AB x3-20) that will expedite the allocation of $835 million for regional transportation agencies for a total of $1.6 billion in federal economic stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

The new legislation modifies existing state law, providing greater delegation to regional transportation agencies for selecting projects and programming their dollars. Each region is developing their list of projects that could be funded by the $1.6 billion pool of money.

"This is about getting the stimulus dollars out to projects quickly and providing jobs as soon as we can," said California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Director Will Kempton. “This legislation allows projects to start well ahead of schedule, which will put people back to work sooner.”

The new law also gives Caltrans the flexibility to use $310 million of federal economic stimulus funds, to move a number of Proposition 1B projects more quickly to construction. Caltrans will propose projects that provide construction jobs immediately and also provide the greatest long-term economic benefits for the state of California.

Caltrans has launched a new website (http://www.dot.ca.gov/recovery) designed to provide the public and the transportation industry with up-to-date information on using ARRA funds on transportation projects to create jobs and jump-start the economy.