NCTC Newsletter


 
 
Zion Street / Sacramento Street Pedestrian and Bicycle Mobility Community Workshop
 
The first of a series of planned workshops was held at Forest Charter School on March 25, 2025
 
photo by Elias Funez | efunez@theunion.com
 
Community members fill the Forest Charter School multipurpose room during the Zion Street/Sacramento Street Corridor Project Initiation workshop.
 
 
2019 with Appe
Providing updates on the ongoing work of the Nevada County Transportation Commission

California Transportation Commission

CTC 2024 Annual Report to the California Legislature

In 2024, the Commission continued to focus on advancing key state transportation goals related to equity, climate, economic growth, safety, and asset management through its policy, planning, and funding decisions. The Commission accomplished its work at a variety of meetings and events open to stakeholders and the public. This included holding seven regular Commission meetings, two joint meetings with the California Air Resources Board and the California Department of Housing and Community Development, two rural Town Hall meetings, six Interagency Equity Advisory Committee meetings, three Road Charge Technical Advisory Committee meetings, and over a dozen program workshops. The Commission continued to hold events in a hybrid in-person/web-based format to allow greater participation from stakeholders and the public and to address accessibility needs. In total, the Commission allocated $13.8 billion to previously approved projects during the fiscal year, which will create more than 151,000 jobs throughout the state. The Commission also approved new projects in the State Highway Operation and Protection Program and the State Transportation Improvement Program. 

 
 
 
Funding Awarded for Improvements on State Route 49
 
On June 28, 2023 the California Transportation Commission (CTC) awarded the Nevada County Transportation Commission $14.6 million of Trade Corridor Enhancement Program (TCEP) funding for southbound improvements on the State Route 49 corridor between the McKnight Way Interchange and La Barr Meadows Road. The SR 49 Corridor Improvement Project - Phase 2 includes the construction of a southbound truck climbing lane, eliminating the southbound lane drop/merge point south of the McKnight Way Interchange, and construction of a new entrance on SR 49 to the new Nevada County Transit Operations Center.

The total construction cost for the SR 49 Corridor Improvement Project – Phase 2 southbound improvements is $19 million, which is comprised of the $14.6 million of TCEP funding and $4.4 million of matching funding.

With NCTC securing the funding for the southbound SR 49 Corridor Improvement Project - Phase 2 improvements, it will now allow for both the northbound improvements (Phase 1) and the southbound improvements (Phase 2) to be constructed together with construction beginning in FY 2025/26.

“This funding will bring this project to completion sooner, lessening the construction impacts for residents with much-needed safety and evacuation improvements,” said Nevada County Board Chair Ed Scofield, who also serves on the Nevada County Transportation Commission. “I'm looking forward to seeing the many transportation improvements the Nevada County Transportation Commission has planned and brought in funding for in Nevada County.”

The SR 49 Corridor Improvement Project - Phase 1 includes construction of the northbound truck climbing lane, a continuous center two way left turn lane, 10’ shoulders, and elimination of the northbound merge point, improving operations, safety, and mobility. Phase 1 also includes southbound right turn lanes at Wellswood Way, Bethel Church Way, Smith Road, and Crestview Drive. Other safety features include enhanced wet night visibility striping, rumble strips, and pavement edge treatments. A wildlife undercrossing with fencing will also be installed as part of this phase to help reduce deer strikes.

For more information, contact Mike Woodman, NCTC Executive Director, at mwoodman@nccn.net or (530) 265-3202. 
tooposal
2019 with Appe

Highway 49 Corridor Evacuation and Safety Concerns Video

NCTC contracted with videographer Jeff Litton to prepare this video highlighting the key concerns and documenting the importance of funding improvements in the Highway 49 corridor, to assist in our efforts to advocate for state and federal funding for the needed safety, evacuation, and operational improvements in the SR 49 corridor. This effort was done in coordination with the County of Nevada and key stakeholders including the Citizens for Highway 49 Safety, Fix49.org, Nevada County Coalition of Firewise Communities, CAL FIRE Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit, and the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.
 
 
  
gold stars 
 
NCTC Gets National Recognition
 
This “Noteworthy Practices” publication from the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration gave national recognition to Nevada County Transportation Commission! They highlighted NCTC for developing an effective and interactive Overall Work Program - the budget that describes regional transportation planning projects and how they are to be funded - calling it “an excellent example of both framework and content.” NCTC is proud to be a leader in transportation planning!
 
Click graphic to see document
FHWA Noteworthy Practices
 
 
gold stars 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (Senate Bill 1)
 
 Senate Bill 1 logo
Caltrans has announced the fast tracking of “fix it first” construction work and increased road repairs across the state. Caltrans is able to jumpstart these road repairs thanks to the passage of the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (Senate Bill 1), recently passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor.
 

It is predicted that Senate Bill 1 will provide more than $5 billion annually for maintenance, repair, and safety improvements on state highways, local streets and roads, and bridges. In total, it is estimated that SB 1 will generate:

 

  • $1.5 billion for the State Highway Operations and Protection Program
  • $1.5 billion for local streets and roads
  • $400 million for bridge maintenance and repairs
  • $300 million for goods movement and freight projects
  • $275 million for congested corridors and relief management
  • $200 million for the Local Partnership Program to match locally generated transportation funds
  • $100 million for the Active Transportation Program to improve safety and expand access on streets, roads and highways for bicyclists and pedestrians
  • $750 million for mass transit

 

In 2017, two initiatives were launched to repeal SB 1 on the November 2018 ballot. However, one of the two initiatives failed to attract enough signatures by the January 8, 2018 deadline to add it to the ballot. The second measure to repeal SB 1 is continuing to move forward and supporters indicated in late January that they had received two thirds of the 585,407 signatures needed to qualify the initiative for the November ballot. This measure would repeal SB 1 and would amend the California Constitution to require future gas tax increases to be approved by the voters.

 

SB 1 generates $54 billion over the next decade, split evenly between state and local investments, to fix transportation infrastructure across California. The $5.4 billion-a-year investment comes with strict new accountability provisions to ensure funds can only be spent on transportation.

 

SB 1 funds will enable Caltrans to fix more than 17,000 lane miles of pavement, 500 bridges, and 55,000 culverts by 2027. Caltrans will also fix 7,700 traffic operating systems, like ramp meters, traffic cameras and electric highway message boards that help reduce highway congestion. When this work is finished, 98 percent of pavement on state facilities will be in good or fair condition, up from 85 percent today.

 

In addition to the work Caltrans is expediting, the California Transportation Commission (CTC) and CalSTA are preparing to award SB 1 funds to competitive transportation grant programs to improve California’s trade corridors, expand public transit systems, provide relief to congested commute corridors and provide state matching funds to help cities and counties build better communities.

 

“SB 1 dedicates transportation dollars to transportation purposes. With the law in place we can begin to put thousands of people to work rebuilding California and its local communities,” said CalSTA Secretary Brian Kelly. “This investment creates jobs, improves roads and bridges and has strong public accountability.”

 

Until SB 1 was signed by Governor Brown earlier this year, California had not significantly invested in the state’s transportation infrastructure in 23 years; since then, California’s population has grown by eight million, with millions more vehicles and trucks on the state highway system. Californians also drive more than 350 billion miles a year – more than any other state.

 

For a list of Nevada County projects scheduled to receive SB 1 funds, click here:

SB 1 Projects List for Nevada County

 

Caltrans is committed to conducting its business in a fully transparent manner and detailing its progress to the public. For complete details on SB 1 visit http://www.rebuildingca.ca.gov/.

 
 
 
  
 
2015-2035 Nevada County Regional Transportation Plan
 
 
2016 Final Nevada County RTP cover page
 
NCTC has completed the update of the 2015-2035 Nevada County Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and it was approved at the February 7, 2018 NCTC meeting. The purpose of the Nevada County RTP update is to establish policy guidance and identify regional transportation improvements that are planned for implementation over the next twenty years in Nevada County. To qualify for federal or state funding, projects must be included in the plan or be consistent with the plan. 
 
NCTC is required by the State to prepare, adopt, and submit an updated RTP to the California Transportation Commission (CTC) and Caltrans every four years. To assure consistency between all RTPs in California, the State legislature requires the same planning components for each plan. The Nevada County RTP was prepared in compliance with the 2017 RTP Guidelines developed by the CTC.
 
The Nevada County RTP documents the short-term and long-term regional transportation needs covering the Plan horizon, and set forth an effective, cost-feasible action plan to meet these needs. The RTP includes projects that can reasonably be anticipated to be funded with the Plan's fiscal constraints. The RTP also identifies projects that can be implemented if additional funds become available.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ask Nevada County
 
mynevadacounty.comAsk Nevada County
 
Our local Nevada County website has a great feature called Ask Nevada County! This useful tool allows local residents to submit service requests to Nevada County online. In addition to Road Maintenance requests, residents can also alert the county of issues concerning Environmental Health, Solid Waste, Wastewater, Agricultural Concerns, Code Compliance, Gold Country Stage Concerns, and General submissions. There is even an interactive map that shows the current status of requests submitted, received, in progress, and completed. In 2017, over 95% of service requests submitted through Ask Nevada County have been completed. There is also a free "Ask Nevada County" app available for your Apple or Android smartphone. The online tool is easy to use, and looks to be an effective solution to report Public Works concerns. Give it a try today!
 
 
 

REBUILDING CALIFORNIA - Senate Bill 1

State Transportation Leaders Expedite More Than $285 Million in SB 1 Road Repairs

SACRAMENTO—The California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) and the Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announced the fast tracking of “fix it first” construction work and increased road repairs across the state. Caltrans is able to jumpstart these road repairs thanks to the passage of the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (Senate Bill 1), recently passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor.

Construction will begin this summer on 13 pavement projects across the state. Additionally, Caltrans has expedited the design of an additional 50 projects, which will also begin construction this fiscal year.

“This legislation provides for needed investments to fix California’s roads, and Caltrans is acting quickly to get to work,” said Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. “This summer we will deploy construction teams across the state to resurface highways, improve safety for motorists and start filling more potholes than ever before.”

Caltrans is expediting more than $285 million in road repairs across California months before the revenue from SB 1 even starts to accrue this fall. The road repair projects, will include repairing and resurfacing hundreds of miles of highways to extend the service life of California roads. Caltrans will also improve lane-line visibility and motorist safety with new striping. The new striping will include highly reflective and durable beads, making it easier to see lane demarcations in all weather conditions. In some locations, roads will get completely repaved.

The accelerated construction work is taking place in every Caltrans district in California, and in urban, suburban and rural areas:

  • Santa Barbara County: $4.4 million to remove and replace damaged concrete and striping, repave shoulders and ramps on nearly two miles of US Highway 101 in Buellton.  Construction on this project is scheduled to begin this summer.

Other projects scheduled to begin in the Spring of 2018 include:

  • San Luis Obispo County: $9 million to resurface more than eight miles of US Highway 101 between Paso Robles and Templeton.
  • Monterey County: $4 million to resurface nearly seven miles of State Route 68 between Monterey and the Laguna Seca Race Track.
  • San Luis Obispo County: $4.4 million to resurface nearly four miles of State Route 41 in Atascadero.
  • San Benito County: $1.4 million to resurface US Highway 101 at the State Route 129 and Betabel Road Interchanges.

SB 1 generates $54 billion over the next decade, split evenly between state and local investments, to fix transportation infrastructure across California. The $5.4 billion-a-year investment will cost most drivers less than $10 a month, and comes with strict new accountability provisions to ensure funds can only be spent on transportation.

SB 1 funds will enable Caltrans to fix more than 17,000 lane miles of pavement, 500 bridges, and 55,000 culverts by 2027. Caltrans will also fix 7,700 traffic operating systems, like ramp meters, traffic cameras and electric highway message boards that help reduce highway congestion. When this work is finished, 98 percent of pavement on state facilities will be in good or fair condition, up from 85 percent today.

In addition to the work Caltrans is expediting, the California Transportation Commission (CTC) and CalSTA are preparing to award SB 1 funds by spring 2018 to competitive transportation grant programs to improve California’s trade corridors, expand public transit systems, provide relief to congested commute corridors and provide state matching funds to help cities and counties build better communities.

“SB 1 dedicates transportation dollars to transportation purposes. With the law in place we can begin to put thousands of people to work rebuilding California and its local communities – that’s exactly what we’re doing,” said CalSTA Secretary Brian Kelly. “This investment creates jobs, improves roads and bridges and has strong public accountability.”

Until SB 1 was signed by Governor Brown earlier this year, California had not significantly invested in the state’s transportation infrastructure in 23 years; since then, California’s population has grown by eight million, with millions more vehicles and trucks on the state highway system. Californians also drive more than 350 billion miles a year – more than any other state.

Caltrans is committed to conducting its business in a fully transparent manner and detailing its progress to the public. For complete details on SB 1 visit http://www.rebuildingca.ca.gov/.