SCAG's 2016-2040 RTP/SCS includes $48.5 billion for Orange County-specific transportation improvements

The newly adopted 2016-2040 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (2016 RTP/SCS) includes $48.5 billion for Orange County projects that balance future mobility and housing needs with economic, environmental and public health goals over the next 25 years.

The Regional Council of the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) formally approved the plan, which, fully implemented, would reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality and boost the region’s long-term economic viability.

The nation’s largest metropolitan planning organization, SCAG is required by state and federal law to produce a long-range transportation plan every four years for a 38,000-mile, six-county region comprised of 191 cities and 18 million people. The RTP/SCS does not implement funding, but lays out a comprehensive strategy for addressing the region’s current and future transportation challenges in compliance with clean air standards.

The 2016 plan identifies 360 Orange County-specific projects, including arterial highway improvements ($2.7 billion), mixed-flow lanes along Interstate 405 between Highway 73 and Interstate 605 ($1.3 billion), mixed flow lanes, climbing lanes and auxiliary lanes along the Eastern Transportation Corridor ($632 million), and countywide bike lanes ($458 million).

Of the $48.5 billion, 58 percent would go to transit projects, 31 percent for highways and 12 percent for local streets and roads.

Fully implemented, the plan would reduce per-capita traffic delays in Orange County by 40 percent by 2040, even with the county’s population projected to grow by nearly 400,000 people during that period.

Region-wide, the 2016 plan identifies $556.5 billion in transportation investments. Among the benefits would be an 8 percent reduction in greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions by 2020, an 18 percent reduction by 2035 and a 21 percent reduction by 2040 – all meeting or exceeding state requirements.

Other highlights of the regional plan include:

o A reduction in per capita traffic delays of 39 percent and heavy-duty truck delays of 37 percent.

o A reduction in per capita vehicle miles traveled of more than 7 percent – and a 17 percent reduction in average time spent on the roads – as a result of more efficient land use patterns and increased transit.

o $70.7 billion in goods movement strategies. Freight, logistics and related industries represent one-third of all jobs and economic activity in the SCAG region.

o A “fix-it-first” investment of $275.5 billion in our existing transportation and transit network.

o $56.1 billion in capital projects and $156.7 billion toward maintenance and operations to expand our regional transit system.

o $12.9 billion in active transportation strategies to promote walking and bicycling.

o A projected return on investment of $2 for every $1 invested in transportation improvements.

“The 2016 RTP/SCS is a historic step forward for our region,” said Cheryl Viegas-Walker, President of SCAG. “Transportation is critical to our economy and quality of life. This plan provides the framework for how we as a region are going to accommodate the needs of 4 million additional people over the next 25 years.”

“Investments in transportation are critical to our long-term economic viability, as the RTP/SCS clearly demonstrates,” said Hasan Ikhrata, SCAG Executive Director.

Ikhrata noted that congestion reduction and improvements in regional amenities as a result of implementing the plan will increase Southern California’s competitiveness and economic performance, resulting in 351,000 additional jobs each year. Of those, 25,700 would be located in Orange County.

The 2016-2040 RTP/SCS was developed in collaboration with local and county stakeholders and transportation agencies, including the Orange County Transportation Authority.

A copy of the adopted 2016 RTP/SCS is available at: http://scagrtpscs.net.

Details on how the plan benefits Orange County are available at: http://scagrtpscs.net/Documents/Briefings/FSB_Orange.pdf