Crews work last February on a joint construction project between Caltrans and the city of Sacramento near Capitol Mall. The governor and Legislature haven’t been able to agree yet on a transportation funding plan. (Rich Pedroncelli Associated Press)
Unfortunately, California still does not have a solution to provide the funding needed to maintain our critical transportation network in the condition that residents, visitors and businesses deserve, and that moving goods and people throughout the state requires.
The governor, Assembly speaker and Senate president pro tempore acknowledged that the special session the governor called in July 2015 would expire Nov. 30 without a plan. Instead, they promised to address transportation funding early in the new legislative session that begins this week. We expect them to keep that promise, and we remain hopeful that they will.
We have eight years of research that shows the continual decline of our local road system. The backlog of deferred maintenance has become critical. Many roads are past the point of simple maintenance and need to be completely replaced at about ten times the cost. For instance, Stanislaus County used to resurface about 100 miles of road a year. Now, the county has funds for just three miles.
This is about more than just potholes. Californians are subjected to some of the worst infrastructure conditions in the nation. Pavement with chunks of asphalt missing is unsafe, punishing to vehicles and increases smog emissions.