Were you jammed on the I-15 commute to Temecula or Rancho Bernardo tonight? Perhaps your nightmare is the I-5 North County commute, especially during the summer race season? Or do you suffer the worsening congestion on I-805 in the south county or near Sorrento Valley?
Perhaps you don’t want trucks rolling through Bario Logan from the port or you want a tunnel under Coronado to deal with rush hour traffic. You don’t know how we got into this mess but you sure want to know what’s being done to fix it.
So, in today’s Café San Diego, I’ll talk about transportation issues for San Diego and the state. Let’s hear your comments about traffic congestion in San Diego, and I’ll share my insights about what it takes to solve those problems.
I am one of nine members on the California Transportation Commission (CTC); all of us are appointed by the governor and we hail from different regions in the state. The commission is responsible for the programming and allocating of funds for the construction of highway, passenger rail and transit improvements throughout California. The commission also advises and assists the secretary of Business, Transportation and Housing Agency and the Legislature in formulating and evaluating state policies and plans for California’s transportation programs. In other words, we decide how to spend the money allocated to transportation from various statewide fuel and sales taxes, and other sources.
You probably read about the CTC’s recent action to program $4.5 billion in funding for highway projects that will reduce traffic congestion throughout the state. That money comes from the infrastructure bond package that voters approved in November. In San Diego, over $430 million will be put to work during the next three years to help improve our highway system.
So email me at jchalker@lmcapital.com or respond with a comment at the end of each blog entry. Drivers, start your engines!!!
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