Frequently Asked Questions about Economic Stimulus

Who manages stimulus funds for the region?

Transportation funds are distributed by Regional Transportation Planning Agencies. For Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties, the Sacramento Area Council of Governments will determine which projects are funded. The El Dorado County Transportation Commission and the Placer County Transportation Planning Agency will do so for their counties.

How much money is the region receiving?

SACOG has received $110 million for the six-county region so far, but there are a few discretionary sources of funding that have not been allocated by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The state of California, through Caltrans, also controls some of the funds.

What types of projects are being funded?

Projects receiving funding include rehabilitation of some of the region's oldest and most-traveled roads, maintenance or replacement of aging buses and light rail cars, bicycle and pedestrian safety and accessibility improvements, as well as the first phase of the Sacramento Intermodal Transportation Facility Project. More than half of the funds are going towards maintaining and rehabilitating existing road and transit infrastructure to the benefit of motorists, transit riders, bicyclists, and pedestrians.

Funds will also allow transit operators from the six counties to replace a combined 26 commuter and fixed-route buses and 11 demand-response vehicles that have exceeded their useful lives.

Sacramento Regional Transit received $8.2 million to rehabilitate light rail cars. The funds will help transit operators meet much-needed maintenance, rehabilitation and replacement costs. However, the funding cannot be used to directly supplement reduced operating revenues that have led many operators to consider reducing transit service.

Of the remaining funds, nearly $8 million will help build bicycle and pedestrian projects, including ADA and sidewalk improvements, bicycle parking, and bikeway facilities.

Why were these projects selected?

The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act set specific requirements for how soon projects had to be started, and what types of projects could be funded. To ensure that projects are delivered within the deadlines set by Congress, the SACOG Board authorizations for funding required non-transit projects to be ready to send out to contract bid, or obligated, by May 29, 2009 (with the exception of the Railyards Intermodal facility). As of July 9, 2009, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has approved $39,446,112 (54 percent of the funds). Another $5,423,725 (8 percent of the funds) are in their office pending approval and $7,315,198 (9 percent of the funds) have been submitted to Caltrans for action.

Backup projects continue to be prepared to fill gaps left by any projects that do not meet milestone dates. Transit operators must obligate their projects by August 29, 2009. As of July 13, 2009, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has approved $34,586,180 (95% of the funds). One project is still awaiting approval from FTA, which is expected before the obligation deadline.

What is included in the Intermodal Station/downtown Sacramento Railyard Track Relocation Project?

The rail relocation project was nominated by the city of Sacramento and is a high regional priority. The phase of this project being funded will relocate and straighten the mainline Union Pacific freight and passenger rail tracks, among other improvements. The reason for the high cost is that it also includes four new grade-separated crossings of the tracks. This will allow for increased capacity for both freight trains and passenger service between Nevada and the Sacramento, with additional benefits to service to the Bay Area.

This project has been the highest regional priority for federal funding for several years now, because it will reduce delays to both freight and passenger trains which currently have to share the same tracks (this would include separate sidings at the station) and allow through trains to go through at a higher speed (both of which help to improve air quality). Relocating the track will also allow redevelopment of the Railyards to begin to happen. This project has to be completed before other phases of the Railyards project can start.

Who do I contact about these funding decisions?

Projects were nominated by cities, counties and transit operators. You can comment on funding decisions by emailing infocenter@sacog.org or calling (916) 321-9000. You may also contact your city, county or transit operator for project information. SACOG staff can help you reach local staff associated with specific stimulus projects.

For projects in El Dorado County, contact EDCTC at edctc@edctc.org. For projects in Placer County, contact PCTPA at pctpa@pctpa.net.

(Translation is provided by Google, and may not be 100% accurate)