Transportation Action Plan

Challenge

The San Joaquin Valley (Valley) is forecasted to be the home of an additional 1.4 million people by the year 2020. As congestion increases and workers spend increasingly long periods of time commuting, it is imperative that the transportation system be improved to attract capital investment and support economic development.

The Valley is an integral link in goods movement for both the railroad and trucking industries. Highway 99 and Interstate 5 are vital north-south corridors. Highway 99, from Bakersfield to Stockton, carries more than a million vehicles a day. It is the backbone of California’s goods movement infrastructure as well as the “main street” of the Valley. Safety and capacity improvements to Highway 99 are essential to increase economic prosperity. East-west corridors also are becoming increasingly congested and require improvements. There is increasing demand for expanded passenger rail service and substantial interest in development of a high-speed rail system.

The need for transportation improvements has serious implications for air quality. The transportation systems of the future must embrace new technology and different community designs to avoid exacerbating the current air pollution problem. Transportation also is inextricably intertwined with land use and other environmental issues. Land use development must be planned to optimize choices for alternative modes of transportation and to minimize single-occupant-vehicle trips.

Indicators

• Increase in mobility (through-put and velocity)
• Increase in quality rating of roadway conditions
• Decrease in vehicle hours of delay
• Increase in transit availability
• Increase in goods movement productivity
• Increase in safety
• Increase in transit availability and alternative mode trips
• Decrease in percentage of single-occupant-vehicle trip
• Increase in investments in Highway 99 corridor consistent with the Enhancement Master Plan and Business Plan Elements, including improvements to roadside rest stops consistent with GreenStop© concept
• Increase in deployment of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) technology

Goals and Objectives

Goal 1: Implement a universally accepted Route 99 Corridor Master Plan (Enhancement and Business Plan Elements) for the 274-mile section within the San Joaquin Valley as a leading economic development strategy.

Objective A: Improve Highway 99 to freeway standards to increase safety.
Objective B: Increase Highway 99 capacity which will result in improved mobility and reduced congestion while protecting environmental resources and fostering economic vitality.
Objective C: Create a San Joaquin Valley Route 99 Corridor identity.
Objective D: Build an ongoing coalition of civic leaders to support improvements to the Highway 99 corridor.

Goal 2: Improve safety and capacity of vital east-west corridors. (Assumes timing of Blueprint work is conducive to proposed action items according to the schedule outlined in the Partnership Strategic Action Plan.)

Objective A: Support construction projects to improve safety and capacity of vital east-west corridors.
Objective B: Incorporate plans for improving east-west corridors into Regional Blueprint Plan.

Goal 3: Improve goods movement within the region to increase economic vitality, traffic safety and mobility.

Objective A: Increase benefits to the San Joaquin Valley from goods movement through a “goods movement enhancement system” specific to the region.

Goal 4: Enhance goods movement capacity while increasing safety, decreasing congestion, improving air quality, and promoting economic development.

Objective A: Accommodate current and future goods movement needs while improving air quality and economic prosperity.

Goal 5: Develop a sustainable regionwide transit system.

Objective A: Implement a comprehensive and efficient alternative transportation system for intra-regional and inter-regional passenger trips.

Goal 6: Transform roadside rest stops into user-friendly amenities that benefit the overall region and host communities.

Objective A: Improve roadside rest stop amenities and facilities to benefit user safety, facilitate tourism, and educate users about the environment and local communities.

Goal 7: Improve mobility through more efficient land use patterns that will reduce single-occupant trip generation and support use of alternative modes.

Objective A: Encourage the Regional Blueprint Plan process to integrate land use and transportation planning to improve mobility.
Objective B: Incorporate into regional transportation plans those actions that support and encourage implementation of the Regional Blueprint Plan.

Goal 8: Improve understanding by public officials and the public of the relationship between investments in transportation improvements and economic development.

Objective A: Develop and implement a system for tracking economic development that results from investments in transportation improvements.

Goal 9: Implement intelligent transportation system (ITS) technologies to assist the region in achieving mobility goals.

Objective A: Integrate ITS into all transportation planning and construction projects.

Goal 10: Assure the high-speed rail system, if implemented, supports the San Joaquin Valley in achieving its economic, environmental, land use and mobility goals.

Objective A: Provide tangible benefits and mitigate impacts to the region while assisting the state in meeting transportation goals.