Date: December 30,
2013
District: Headquarters
Contact: Mark Dinger
Phone: (916) 657-5060
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CALTRANS
HIGHLIGHTS KEY INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS OF 2013
SACRAMENTO – As 2013
comes to a close, Caltrans is highlighting a few transportation infrastructure
projects completed this year to help improve mobility, safety and
sustainability throughout California’s transportation system.
“From
opening new tunnels and bridges to repairing structures damaged by catastrophic
fire, Caltrans helped strengthen and preserve California’s great transportation
infrastructure,” said California State Transportation Agency Secretary Brian
Kelly. “With this work and the emerging active transportation program, Caltrans
will remain committed to safety, mobility and sustainability in our
transportation system as it heads into the new year.”
Caltrans
made nearly $2.5 billion of improvements to the state highway system through
542 completed contracts in 2013 while also awarding 433 major highway
construction contracts with a value of more than $2.7 billion. Caltrans also
continued to restore, upgrade and protect infrastructure statewide, including
more than 88,000 miles of striping on state highways and 155,000 cubic yards of
litter and debris removal.
“As
2013 comes to a close, Caltrans is highlighting a small sample of the hundreds
of completed infrastructure projects that improved transportation for millions
of Californians,” said Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. “In 2014, Caltrans will
build on this momentum and continue delivering a safer, more mobile and
sustainable transportation system for California.”
Thirteen
of the notable 2013 transportation infrastructure projects in California, organized
by region, included:
SAN
DIEGO
·
Otay Mesa East Port
of Entry:
Caltrans and its partners recently broke ground on the first of three segments
of the $717 million State Route 11/Otay Mesa East Port of Entry (POE) Project.
Once completed, the four-lane highway will connect about 2.5 miles from SR-905
south to the proposed Otay Mesa East POE at the U.S.-Mexico border. The new
freeway will reduce the frequent wait times for commercial trucks at the Otay
Mesa POE and for vehicles at the San Ysidro POE.
LOS ANGELES
·
Interstate 5/State Route 14 Carpool Connector: Caltrans broke ground on
four major highway widening projects on Interstate 5 in 2013 as part of a $1.8
billion effort that will expand this crucial California commerce corridor from
six to ten lanes, including a carpool lane in each direction. The new I-5/SR-14
carpool connector reduced travel time for Los Angeles area motorists who can
now transition between I-5 and SR-14 without leaving the carpool lane.
·
Interstate 5/State Route 2 Tanker Fire Repair: Caltrans worked around the clock to shore up the tunnel at
the Interstate 5/State Route 2 interchange in July after a tanker fire caused
extensive damage to pavement, walls, support columns, drainage and lighting.
Caltrans proceeded with $16.5 million worth of repairs and improvements to fix
the damage and increase safety while improving visibility with bright paint and
LED lights.
INLAND
EMPIRE
·
Colton
Crossing Project: Caltrans and its partners delivered this rail
improvement in Colton south of Interstate 10 eight months earlier than its scheduled
2014 completion and $109 million below the estimated $202 million cost. The
concrete overpass speeds up cargo and cuts diesel emissions from waiting
trains. The project will save $241 million in travel time and reduce greenhouse
gas emissions by 34,000 tons of CO2 equivalent annually.
NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA
·
Interstate 80
Improvement from Auburn to Nevada: In October, Caltrans finished
rebuilding 90 miles of Interstate 80 between Auburn and the Nevada state line.
Infrastructure improvements also included rebuilding seven bridges, improving
lighting and drainage and adding new traffic monitoring systems. One of
California’s critical economic arteries as well as one of the nation’s three
continuous coast-to-coast highways, this interstate moves $4.7 million worth of
commerce closer to its destination every hour.
·
State Route
99 Elverta Road: In the Sacramento area, Caltrans and the County of
Sacramento constructed a
new interchange at State Route 99 and Elverta Road, which
optimized traffic flow and safety for motorists by eliminating the last traffic
signal along the 40-mile route between Yuba City and Sacramento.
·
Rim Fire Repairs to State Route 120: Caltrans employees worked around the clock to reopen State
Route 120 into Yosemite National Park after the Rim Fire burned approximately
257,000 acres in late summer. In just 18 days, crews removed more than 1,800
damaged trees, repaired almost 800 guardrail posts and replaced numerous signs
to reconnect visitors with this vital link to Yosemite National Park.
CENTRAL
VALLEY
·
Philip S. Raine
Safety Roadside Rest Area: As part of its effort to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions and save taxpayer money, Caltrans received Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification—the highest
possible environmental rating—by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for
the Philip S. Raine Roadside Rest Area on State Route 99 in Tulare County. The
Raine facility, one of 233 buildings in California to achieve this milestone,
is one hour south of Fresno near Tipton and serves more than four million
visitors annually. Caltrans has previously earned LEED Gold certification for
its Los Angeles office and LEED Silver certification for the district office in
Marysville.
·
State Route 99 Madera
Rehabilitation:
Among the 26 Proposition 1B projects in the State Route 99 Corridor Program, this
was Caltrans’ first to use of the “design build” project delivery method that
combined design and construction into one contract. Opened on time and on
budget, the $37 million project was funded entirely by Proposition 1B and
benefits 65,000 commuters, tourists and truckers daily in this critical
corridor.
CENTRAL COAST
·
State Route 1 Pitkins
Curve Bridge and Rockshed Project: In December, a $39 million a permanent slide
repair project on State Route 1 along the Big Sur coast in Monterey County was
completed to install a bridge and rock shed at Pitkins curve, one of the
toughest highway maintenance challenges along California’s central coast.
Extensive landslides had occurred on the route, often severing travel on the highway
for weeks at a time.
BAY AREA
·
Devil’s Slide Tunnels
Construction: In
March, Caltrans opened the first new highway tunnels in California in nearly 50
years when it cut the ribbon on the Tom Lantos Tunnels, popularly known as the
Devil’s Slide Project, which are now the longest tunnels in California. The
$439 million project features two 4,200-foot-long tunnels, 32 jet-powered fans
for ventilation and 10 fireproof shelters between the tunnels to protect the
public.
·
San Francisco-Oakland
Bay Bridge: In
September, Caltrans opened the new San-Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, which is
designed to withstand the strongest earthquake estimated by seismologists to
occur over a 1,500-year period. The new span also includes a bike and
pedestrian path that will be extended onto Treasure Island after the old
eastern span is removed.
·
Fourth Bore of the
Caldecott Tunnel: In
November, Caltrans opened the new fourth bore of the world-class Caldecott
Tunnel on State Route 24, providing two dedicated tunnels in each direction to
aid more than 160,000 commuters daily and ending the 50-year-old process of
manually reversing the flow of traffic twice per day along the middle bore. The
fourth bore has been designated as a regional lifeline structure and is
designed to reopen to emergency traffic within 72 hours of a major earthquake.
In
addition to these regional achievements, Caltrans reported a decade-high 84
percent pavement health rating in 2013, out of the 50,000 lane miles it
maintains. While Caltrans typically receives just 17 percent of the funding
needed to keep pavement in good condition, one-time contributions from the
voter-approved 2006 Proposition 1B transportation bond and the 2009 Recovery
Act made more projects possible.
Caltrans
also sold nearly $22 million worth of excess property originally acquired for
transportation projects, which was more than $4 million higher than the
properties’ estimated market value.
This
year, Caltrans also furthered its goal of building a more sustainable
transportation system. During the 2012-13 fiscal year, ridership rose to a
record 5.6 million passengers on three intercity passenger rail lines funded by
the state, and over the past ten years ticket revenues from the three lines
have skyrocketed from $44 million to $102 million. Caltrans also released the California
State Rail Plan, which lays out a long-term vision for freight and passenger
rail. In 2014, Caltrans will build on this momentum by implementing the new
Active Transportation Program to fund human-powered transportation projects and
programs. The new program is the nation’s largest state commitment to
bicycling, walking and other active transportation.
For photos,
videos, and more information, visit http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/paffairs/news/Accomplish2013/index.htm
For a
comprehensive overview of activities undertaken by Caltrans statewide to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, visit
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