How much does the region spend on transportation every year?  

It varies quite a bit depending on the projects making their way through the pipeline, but the region typically spends between $1.5 to $2.0 billion annually on transportation. 

Where does funding for the projects in the Blueprint come from? How much does SACOG control?

Funding comes from a variety of federal, state, and local sources including state and federal fuel taxes that get distributed in several ways (grants, direct subventions). About 2/3 of the funding in the Blueprint would come from locally controlled funding sources (developer fees, sales taxes, gas tax subventions from the state, transit fare revenues, and various other assessments). SACOG directly manages around 7% of the total funding in the Blueprint through our regional funding programs that include both federal and state funds. 

How much does the SACOG region spend on maintaining the road and highway system? How much is needed? 

The region spends anywhere from $350 to $400 million each year on maintenance of the existing system. If we wanted to bring all of our roads and highways up to a state of good repair within the next 10 years, we would likely need an additional $500 million annually.

What’s the total transportation budget available for the Blueprint?

We have not yet developed a full forecast of future revenues for the Blueprint, but the current plan includes about $35 billion in current year dollars. That equates to around $1.5 billion per year (again in current year dollars) 

What transportation projects need to be included in the Blueprint? 

We try to capture as comprehensive a picture as we can to best illustrate the regional investment strategy in the Blueprint. So that includes bicycle and pedestrian facilities, various transportation programs, transit services, air quality programs, maintenance and rehabilitation projects, system operations, facility needs, etc.  

Some projects do need to be listed in the plan in order to be eligible for federal and state funding. These generally include major road, highway, and transit investments. Because our region is considered non-attainment under the Federal Clean Air Act, even projects that are fully locally funded need to be included in the plan before they can enter into certain phases of development (generally right-of-way acquisition and construction). Generally speaking, any capacity expanding project on a major collector, principal arterial, or highway needs to be included in the plan before it can advance. The same is true for many major transit projects such as light rail expansions or dedicated BRT corridors.