New Transportation Plan for Southern California

Regional Transportation Planning for Southern California's Future

Southern California planners and elected officials are about to update a long range plan that will impact transportation and mobility for years to come.

It happens every fours years in Southern California. A group of elected officials and community leaders gather to update a document called the Regional Transportation Plan or RTP. The RTP is a long range planning document that addresses two matters: 1) what types of transportation projects should be built and 2) how will Southern Californians pay for them.

A multi-county planning agency called the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) spearheads the RTP. The plan is important because the inclusion of major transportation projects allows them to receive federal highway and transit money, which is needed for most major projects.  In other words, proposals for key new highway and transit improvements have to be included in the RTP just to stay alive.  But, it doesn't mean that all of these projects are guaranteed to be built in the near future.

SCAG recently wrapped up a series of public workshops about the RTP. Big ticket projects mentioned include: the I-710 gap closure between Alhambra and Pasadena via an underground tunnel; I-5 truck lanes in Santa Clarita; and, US-101 high occupancy toll lanes (lanes for carpoolers and toll payers) from the Ventura County to Glendale. The Exposition Light Rail line extension from Culver City to Santa Monica, Green Line Light Rail Extension into Los Angeles International Airport, and Metrolink Rail extensions in both Temecula and San Jacinto were also mentioned as transit options.  Before you get too excited about the thought of a light rail line or an extra highway lane coming by your neighborhood, remember that the RTP is a 30-year planning document that simply lists regional priorities.

However, projects need to be included in the plan to have a chance of moving forward.  Go to http://www.scag.ca.gov/rtp2008/index.htm for a complete description of the projects and funding options that will affect you and your commute in the long run.  This site also has contact information available to help you submit comments, ask questions about projects in the RTP, and provide an option to take a short survey to communicate your own transportation priorities.  The RTP is set to be adopted in spring 2008.  Your thoughts are needed and will be important to the process.