New Transportation Plan Available for Public Review
The Directors of the Sacramento
Area Council of Governments (SACOG) released a $786 million transportation
plan today for public review. The plan includes $400 million region
wide for road repaving, bridge repairs, safety projects, new buses,
traffic signals, intersection improvements, sidewalks, bike lanes,
and landscaping and roadside improvements.
The projects are part of a 20-year transportation plan and three-year
transportation program for the six-county region that includes Sacramento,
Yolo, Yuba, Sutter, El Dorado, and Placer Counties. SACOG planners
prepared the two new documents in response to an impending violation
of federal clean air deadlines in October that requires setting
aside an earlier plan that includes more ambitions road construction
projects for ones that have no affect on air quality.
The plan and program would use $786 million in state, federal, and
local funds through 2007. SACOG has also set aside an additional
$600 million that would have been used to fund road widening and
light rail extensions until the region can get back on track with
federal clean air timelines.
SACOG invites public comment on the Draft Interim Metropolitan Transportation
Plan 2004-05, the Draft Interim Metropolitan Transportation Improvement
Program, and their accompanying environmental analyses in writing
until October 21. A public hearing will be held during a meeting
of the SACOG Board of Directors on October 21 at 9 a.m. at 1415
L Street, 3rd Floor, Sacramento, CA 94814. Copies of the documents
are available from SACOG by calling 916-321-9000, or online at www.sacog.org.
After considering public comments, the SACOG Board of Directors
expects to adopt the interim plan and program on October 21, for
use during the following nine months, and expects to get back on
track toward attaining federal clean air standards and restore its
full-scale transportation plan and program by July 2005.
The Sacramento Area Council of Governments is an association of
the 22-member cities and six Sacramento-region counties: El Dorado,
Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties. SACOG provides
transportation planning and funding for the region, and serves as
a forum for the study and resolution of regional issues. For further
information, please contact Phyllis Miller, Communication Manager,
at 916-340-6224.
uba counties. For further information, contact Aimee Hagen, at
916-340-6211.
