Senate Bill 1: Rebuilding California
Senate Bill 1 (SB1), the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, invests state funds to fix roads, build bike lanes and sidewalks, and improve transit and safety.
SB1 is the first increase in state funds dedicated to transportation since the mid-1990’s. Prior to SB1, funding levels for the maintenance and rehabilitation of the state’s highways and local roads were insufficient. For instance, as vehicles have become more fuel efficient, revenues did not kept pace with demands on the transportation system.
In Santa Cruz County alone, there is a backlog of over $150 million in local street and road repairs, as well as long lists of bicycle, sidewalk, highway, and transit projects that have been identified as priorities by the community (see the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP)). Other transportation revenues cover less than half of the cost to operate and maintain the county’s existing transportation system (highways, local roads, buses, bicycle, and pedestrian facilities).
Funding from SB1 enables our county to address significant maintenance, rehabilitation and safety needs on our local street and road system. SB1 provides an additional $7 million per year to local cities and the County of Santa Cruz to fill potholes, maintain and improve local streets and roads, bicycle paths, sidewalks, and intersections. METRO receives $3 million per year to replace old buses and maintain existing service.
Major Santa Cruz County SB1 Projects Include:
- Local street and road projects – over $7 million per year
- Transit projects – approximately $3 million per year
- Highway 9 bridge replacements – $23 million
- Highway 1/9 intersection Improvements – $3 million
- Highway 1 traffic flow and safety projects – $7 to $30 million over 5 years
- Bicycle and pedestrian bridges over Highway 1 at Mar Vista ($7 million) and Harkins Slough Road ($14 million – ATP candidate)
- Glenwood Active Transportation – trails and road rehabilitation, Scotts Valley ($1 million)
SB1 Annual Revenue Projections for the Santa Cruz County
| Capitola | $180,000 |
| Santa Cruz | $1,150,000 |
| Scotts Valley | $220,000 |
| Watsonville | $940,000 |
| County | $4,700,000 |
| Total | $7,000,000 |
How Much Does SB1 Cost Taxpayers?
- The average motorist will pay $8-12 per month in SB1 user fees to help ensure that roads, highways and other transportation facilities are better equipped to serve everyone’s needs.
- Because of SB1, the average motorist will pay less in unanticipated car maintenance and repair costs associated with bad roads.
Leveraging Measure D Funds
While Measure D provides a significant investment in the region’s transportation system, these funds are expected to leverage competitive SB1 grants in order to allow our local dollars to stretch even farther to address more of the backlog of transportation infrastructure upgrades and repairs that are needed.
News and other information:
- rebuildingca.ca.gov: Statewide information about projects and programs funded by SB1
- News Release: Voters Overwhelmingly Approve Proposition 69 to Dedicate Revenues for Transportation Purposes (June 2018)
- News Release: RTC Supports Protecting and Maintaining Transportation Revenues (March 2018)
- News Release: State Approves over $1.5 million for Active Transportation Projects in Santa Cruz County (October 2017)
Senator Monning discusses SB1 and Prop 6
at the September 6, 2018 RTC meeting.