Orange County to receive $13.3M for innovative transportation projects

The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) on Thursday, July 6, approved allocation of $13.3 million in funding for 11 innovative transportation and land-use projects in Orange County that advance sustainable communities.

In all, $80 million in funding has been awarded to projects across the six counties comprising the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) region. The County Transportation Commission (CTC) Partnership Program, under which these awards are issued, represents the first stage of implementation of the state-funded Regional Early Action Planning (REAP 2.0) grant.

The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) formally awarded SCAG $237 million in REAP 2.0 grants earlier this week to accelerate progress toward housing goals and climate commitments by strengthening the partnership between the state, its regions and local entities.

The 11 OC projects are managed by the Orange County Transportation Commission (OCTC) and align with goals SCAG has set forth in Connect SoCal, the Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy, to reduce vehicle-miles traveled and help the six-county region meet state air-quality mandates.

“These 11 Orange County projects will positively impact quality of life by increasing economic and career opportunities and reducing vehicle emissions across our region. We applaud the innovative thinking, collaboration and hard work that has gone into securing this critical funding,” said Art Brown, President of SCAG’s Regional Council and Mayor of Buena Park.

After receiving approval from SCAG's Regional Council, funding has been allocated to the following projects in Orange County:

Next Safe Travels Education Program (STEP) 2.0 ($1,250,000). The project will deliver Safe Route to School education to encourage safe active transportation behavior for students and families and will involve engaging with the community to conduct walk audits and develop conceptual recommendations and cost estimates to install active transportation safety improvements around schools.

Harbor Boulevard Cloud-Based Transit Signal Priority Stage 1 ($400,000). The project will improve reliability and speed for transit riders by advancing transit signal priority improvements for the highest ridership bus routes in Orange County, OC Bus Route 43 and Bravo! 543 Rapid Bus.

Reconnecting Communities through Complete Streets ($550,000). The project will reconnect communities in Orange County by improving pedestrian and bicycle connections at ten interchanges selected based on equity and crash data.

McFadden Avenue Transit Signal Priority Pilot ($3,690,000). The project will complement planned bicycle improvements for McFadden Avenue by providing funding to design and install innovative transit improvements including transit signal priority and real time arrival signage, which in turn will improve service on one of the highest ridership bus routes in Orange County, Route 66.

First Street Multimodal Boulevard Design ($4,300,000). The project will complete planning and design work to advance bicycle, pedestrian, and transit improvements such as protected bike lanes, transit signal priority, and bus stops shelters on a four-mile stretch of First Street in Santa Ana.

Orange County Mobility Hubs Pilot Concept of Operations ($300,000). The project will develop a concept design and operation plan for installing a network of mobility hubs in Orange County. The Mobility hub network will provide the community with access to multiple travel options and amenities.

Bikeways Connectivity Study ($500,000). The planning study builds on the Orange County Transportation Authority’s Master Plan for Arterial Highways Complete Streets Assessment report to utilize advanced data analytics and robust community engagement to identify opportunities in Orange County for additional bicycle lane connections and routes.

Orange County Cyclic Counts 2024-2025 ($400,000). The project involves robust active transportation data collection for all of Orange County including detailed information on volumes, contraflow riding, sidewalk riding, and electric/non-electric bicycles. This project will significantly expand the Orange County Transportation Authority’s active transportation database that is shared with agencies throughout Orange County.

Active Transportation Outreach and Engagement Support ($400,000). The Orange County Transportation Authority will deliver a range of education, engagement, and encouragement activities aimed at fostering a better environment for residents to use bicycling and walking as a means of transportation. Work will include fun engagement events such as bicycle rodeos and distributing quality bike safety equipment to residents.

Fullerton Park and Ride Transit Oriented Development Site Design Concepts ($500,000). The project will develop a comprehensive solution for developing a mixed-use residential building with affordable housing and multimodal transportation options at the Fullerton Park-and-Ride Facility.

Harbor Boulevard Cloud-Based Transit Signal Priority Stage II ($1,000,000). The project will complete the second phase of work initiated by the Harbor Boulevard Cloud-Based Transit Signal Priority Stage 1 project bringing improved reliability and speed for transit riders on Orange County’s busiest bus routes, OC Bus Route 43 and Bravo! 543 Rapid Bus.