San Diego Association of Governments, commonly referred to as SANDAG is accepting comments on its 2021 Regional Transportation Improvement Program draft through Jan. 18.
The draft 2021 improvement program includes proposed major highway, transit, and transportation projects being developed in San Diego county from the current 2020-2021 fiscal year through 2025.
Associate Public Communications Officer Lindsey Hansen said the Regional Transportation Improvement Program is developed every two years to implement the projects submitted by member and transit agencies, SANDAG and Caltrans for the long range regional plan.
The draft plan also includes detailed listings of individual projects developed by San Diego Metropolitan Transit System and North County Transit District, as well as plans for improved bike pathways.
Improvements to state route 67 and state route 52 are included in the projects as well as improvements to interchange connections between state route 94 and state route 125.
Funding for all of the projects listed in the plan is based on anticipated inflation and other factors through the expected completion years.
Major transportation projects funded in part by county transportation sales taxes are based on a revised revenue forecast that takes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic into account.
According to SANDAG, that revision showed a 13% decline in revenue for 2021, anticipated recovery by 2023 and a 3% annual expected annual increase every year afterward.
A draft air quality conformity analysis is included in the plan. That analysis provides some environmental information on transportation projects that receive state and federal funding, and confirms they will not adversely affect the region’s air quality standards.
The full Regional Transportation Improvement Program draft plan is available for review at www.sandag.org and comments can be mailed to SANDAG Senior Financial Programming Analyst Sue Alpert at: 401 B Street, Suite 800 San Diego, CA 92101.
Comments on the plan can also be emailed to Alpert at: sue. alpert@sandag.org or faxed to (619) 699-6905.
“SANDAG encourages public participation in the transportation planning process and is seeking feedback on the projects included in the draft plan, in accordance with federal regulations. All comments will be answered directly and reported to the Transportation Committee and our Board of Directors,” Hansen said.
A public hearing for the draft plan will be held at the virtual SANDAG transportation committee meeting at 9 a.m. on Feb. 5. Information on participating in that meeting is available at www.sandag.org
Comments for the meeting should be submitted to: clerk@ sandag.org or mailed to: SANDAG, 401 B St., Suite 800 San Diego, CA 92101.
