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GRANT APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED FOR GRADE SEPARATIONS AND POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL
In partnership with the cities of Corona and Riverside, the Commission submitted a grant application for $31.8 million to the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) for Auto Center Drive and Iowa Avenue grade separations. If successful, these two projects will generate an estimated 1,250 full time equivalent jobs and more than $52 million in wages. The projects will also relieve congestion and enhance the efficiency of the goods movement system in Southern California.
The Commission also partnered with the Southern California Regional Rail Authority seeking funding for Positive Train Control (PTC). If funded, PTC will help save lives by preventing train-to-train collisions, speeding, as well as over-speed derailments. PTC is designed to keep a train under its maximum speed limit and within the limits of its authorization to be on a specific track.
A total of $1.5 billion in grant funds is available for the entire U.S., with states eligible to receive no more than
$300 million. Nationally, a total of 1,381 applications were submitted totaling $57 billion, more than 38 times the amount of grant funding available. It is anticipated that U.S. DOT will make its funding recommendation by February 17, 2010.
Follow RCTC on Twitter
In an effort to enhance public outreach, RCTC has created a twitter account – an internet messaging site which allows anyone to post information on a real time basis. If you use Twitter, you can follow RCTC at twitter.com/RCTC.
Upcoming Meetings
RCTC will hold a special meeting on Thursday, November 12, 2009, at 9:30 a.m. at the Palm Springs Convention Center, 277 North Avenida Caballeros, Palm Springs, CA 92262.
Speaker’s Bureau
RCTC also maintains a speaker’s bureau that actively makes presentations throughout the county on transportation issues. If you are interested in scheduling a presentation for your service club or community organization, please contact Eliza Echevarria at (951) 787-7141 or eechevarria@rctc.org. |
At its October 14, 2009 meeting, the Commission approved a $39.8 million agreement with Parsons Transportation Group, Inc., to provide project and construction management (PCM) services for the first phase of the SR-91 Corridor Improvement Project. Through its PCM services, Parsons will provide a diverse team of professionals with expertise in tolling, design-build, engineering, construction management, and public outreach. The sole focus of the PCM team will be dedicated to delivering the SR-91 Corridor Improvement Project under a single, design-build contract through the final engineering, construction, and toll operation start-up phases. 
The SR-91 Corridor Improvement Project includes the extension of the existing tolled express lanes on SR-91 between the Orange/Riverside county line and the I-15, and the addition of a general purpose lane between SR-241 and Pierce Street. The project focuses on increasing capacity on a 12-mile segment, one of the most congested routes in Southern California, with a current average daily traffic count of 280,000 vehicles. If no improvements are made, traffic is projected to increase between 50% and 70% by 2030. Complete details of the SR-91 Corridor Improvement Project can be found at 