April 9 , 2006
Voices: Transit sales could break I-80 bottleneck
By Celia McAdam
If you're counting on the state of California to fix congestion on Interstate 80's bottleneck at the Sacramento-Placer County line, you may be stuck in traffic for a long time. And the wait could get longer.
According to Sacramento Area Council of Governments projections, Placer residents are facing a 600 percent increase in traffic congestion by 2030. The Placer County Transportation Planning Agency has worked diligently to move projects forward in Placer County, but it may soon be up to residents, not our state leaders, as to when and how improvements are made.
Experts know how to fix the Interstate 80 bottleneck, but do we have the courage to make it happen? When the choices are made about where transportation investments are made in California, will Placer County be a winner or a whiner? It comes down to local money.
As one of the few counties in California without dedicated local transportation funds, Placer County is losing out. For decades, the Placer County Transportation Planning Agency has pinched pennies and delivered. Highway 65, the Douglas Boulevard-Interstate 80 interchange and many local transportation improvements are the direct result of conservative financial management, creative financing and strong partnerships with local cities, Placer County, home builders and others.
It's time that Placer County makes transportation infrastructure a priority. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is pushing for increased state investment in roads and infrastructure, and an opportunity exists for Placer County to champion a similar vision.
Budget deficits have taken billions from transportation, creating major delays for Placer's few promised transportation projects, including the Lincoln bypass and the Interstate 80-Sierra College Boulevard interchange. Federal and state funds have been allocated toward breaking the I-80 bottleneck and transit expansions, but a local match is required to take full advantage of those dollars.
But we simply don't have enough money. Over the past two years, the county Transportation Planning Agency has worked with a bipartisan steering committee of local leaders to identify which funding sources could most effectively pay for necessary transportation projects. The committee considered a wide variety of funding alternatives and condensed the large list of potential projects so that the focus would be on "needs" rather than "wants." Agency research shows that Placer voters are willing to invest to provide basic levels of service. The agency has been careful not to overreach but to meet the regions' transportation priorities.
The steering committee concluded that the best alternative includes impact fees, a transportation sales tax and potentially a toll road to help build the Placer Parkway. Long-range planning can minimize the cost and increase the speed of improvements, which is exactly what residents want. A public opinion poll revealed that transportation improvements are among residents' top priorities and an overwhelming majority of voters are prepared to invest wisely to protect the region's future.
Placer's evolution is similar to that of Orange County, where leaders recognized the need for a funding source to make transportation infrastructure improvements. In 1990, they passed Measure M, a 20-year program for transportation improvements funded by a half-cent sales tax. Measure M allocates all sales tax revenues to specific Orange County transportation improvement projects. Today, that region enjoys the benefits of modern public roadways complemented by a network of toll roads that keep traffic moving.
Do we have the courage to follow Orange County's lead or are we going to accept the status quo? If we act today, Placer can move forward on existing projects and win additional state and federal matching dollars that we are losing to places like Fresno, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Placer will move from the back to the front of the line, because we have demonstrated the ability to deliver quality projects on time and within budget.
Now is the time for residents to get involved. This November, or in the future, county residents will likely be asked to vote on the creation of a locally controlled transportation sales tax to break the I-80 bottleneck and deliver a specific list of transportation improvements throughout Placer County.
The county Transportation Planning Agency has a Web site (www.FixPlacerTraffic.org) aimed at giving residents information and receiving public input regarding what should be done to fix the transportation crisis.
Investing a few minutes of time reviewing information and providing feedback ultimately could save commuters hours stuck in traffic. Transportation improvements are vital to maintaining residents' high quality of life, but the people must determine if they want to be winners or whiners when it comes to making the improvements a reality.
About the writer: Celia McAdam is the executive director of the Placer County Transportation Planning Agency.
