Stanislaus County Supervisor Vito Chiesa testified on behalf of
CSAC this week at a Senate Transportation Committee oversight
hearing on implementation of SB 1, the Road Repair and
Accountability Act of 2017.
Since February 2018, when the first SB 1 funds began flowing to
counties and cities, more than 2,500 local projects have been
proposed, representing more than $3.5 billion in planned
investments in local streets and roads. Over 1,800 SB 1-funded
local projects have been completed through June 2019.
Supervisor Chiesa’s testimony focused on how transformative SB 1
funding has been Stanislaus County, where funds are being used to
resurface 514 miles of roads and provide matching funds for three
significant bridge projects, among other priorities. The same is
true around the state, where additional funding from SB 1 has
allowed counties to move away from triage and chip away at
maintenance backlogs.
Counties have also been able to bolster their multi-modal
investments, with significant funding allocated for closing
sidewalk gaps, striping new bike lanes, and creating better
bicycle and pedestrian access to community amenities like parks
and schools.
Despite all of this progress, Supervisor Chiesa shared the
ongoing needs of counties. First, in recognition of the need for
stability and predictability from the state, he acknowledged the
leadership of Chairman Beall, Chairman Frazier and others who
have worked hard to ensure that SB 1 funds are allocated to their
intended purposes without delay.
Second, despite significant new state funding, counties and
cities continue to face significant bridge maintenance and
replacement needs. Local agencies in California own over 12,000
bridges, of which 829 need to be replaced and 1,834 need
rehabilitation. Additional dedicated funding is needed for these
unique projects, as even a single bridge project can equate to
several years’ worth of road maintenance funding in smaller
counties.
Finally, Supervisor Chiesa advocated for continued streamlining
of environmental and administrative processes to more quickly
deliver maintenance, rehabilitation and safety projects. CSAC
will continue to prioritize opportunities to expedite project
delivery, including working on implementation of CSAC-sponsored
SB 137 (Dodd, 2019).
