On February 19, the SACOG Board of Directors authorized $32 million for road rehabilitation projects in Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties. The funding is part of the federal economic stimulus signed into law in February. These funds will help relieve some of the region's rural road maintenance burden. The Placer County Transportation Planning Agency and the El Dorado County Transportation Planning Commission are responsible for authorizing an estimated $7.5 million for their counties.
Improving rural roads is vital for rural areas, which account for 48 percent of the road miles in the region but only 13 percent of the population. Over the years, commuters and heavy trucks have placed more demands on rural roads. In many areas, infrastructure has become increasingly inadequate to accommodate these demands, and the condition of rural roads and bridges is suffering.
Rural road safety and operating efficiency is critical to rural economic vitality. Rural roads and infrastructure provide transport of agricultural and mineral resources, movement of large farm equipment, and mobility of rural workers and residents.
Cities and counties are responsible for funding maintenance, but dedicated funding sources are limited and insufficient. Typically, the only available sources are the local share of the state gas tax, sales taxes or general funds. Today, the gas tax covers only 25 percent of maintenance and rehabilitation needs.
More information on maintenance is available on the RUCS Wiki site at: www.sacog.org/rucs/wiki, or by contacting Matt Carpenter at (916) 340-6276 or mcarpenter@sacog.org.