RCTC is the agency charged with recommending projects that will be federally funded under the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). The RTP identifies strategies to meet mobility, financial and air quality requirements in the six county area of Southern California and is overseen by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). Updated every three years, the current RTP was adopted in April 2004 and will be updated again in 2008.

RCTC's role in the development of the RTP is to identify long range transportation improvement projects beyond those already programmed in the six-year federal funding plan. RCTC coordinates the input provided to SCAG with local agencies in order to ensure consistency with city and county transportation plans and projects.

Mid County Parkway East/West (Visit Site)

The MCP is a proposed 32-mile roadway that will relieve traffic congestion in western Riverside County between the San Jacinto and Corona areas and help address future transportation needs through 2035. Based on today's projections, traffic in this area will increase up to 5 fold in some areas. That means the Ramona Expressway near San Jacinto would have to carry 58,900 cars per day up from 19,200 now. Demand on Cajalco Road would jump to 54,300 cars per day from 8,300 today.

Work on the plan began in 2004 and to date more than 3,000 parcels comprising more than 17,000 acres have been surveyed for environmental studies. A Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report is expected in 2007. After a period of public comment, a final report will be released in 2008. After that, final engineering can begin.

RCTC recently adopted a locally preferred alternative. For a map, click here.

Riverside County to Orange County (Visit Site)

The 91 freeway represents what is perhaps the worst commute in the nation. Congestion on the 91 freeway affects quality of life and travel times for commuters, families, and goods and services. RCTC, with its partners the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) and the Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) completed a Major Investment Study (MIS) on a new corridor between the two counties.

The result of the study is a plan to maximize carrying capacity on the 91 freeway by adding lanes, increasing mass transit, and considering up to two new routes, one above or near the 91 freeway and a second that may be constructed partly in a tunnel through the mountains between the two counties.

RCTC is now working as a part of the Riverside Orange County Authority (ROCA), a joint powers agency, to explore the feasibility of a new route between Corona and Irvine, including geological studies. Currently, a permit has been issued by the U.S. Forest Service to conduct geotechnical feasibility testing in the Cleveland National Forest. The testing is underway and will continue to 2009.

Moreno Valley to San Bernardino County

Public outreach in the region has begun to build a consensus on where and how to connect Riverside and San Bernardino counties in this sensitive area.

State Route 79 (Visit Site)

RCTC is in the last phases of developing a new route for SR 79, the route that connects the pass area with the communities of Temecula and Murrieta. Today SR 79 follows a circuitous route through the downtown areas of San Jacinto and Hemet. SR 79 needs improvements to provide a more direct route for regional traffic in the San Jacinto Valley while creating better mobility on local streets in San Jacinto and Hemet.

Regional Planning Projects

In addition, RCTC is planning for its own transportation needs in a region-wide way.

Riverside County is unique in having led the way nationally with an integrated planning process that not only updated the Riverside County General Plan, but led to a plan for transportation needs that was coordinated with both future development and environmental preservation.

The Riverside County Integrated Project (RCIP) led to the establishment of a multi-species habitat plan to preserve open space and protect sensitive species and a transportation plan, the Community Environmental Transportation Acceptability Process (CETAP), that identified the region's priorities for new corridors. Dozens of public outreach meetings contributed to the process and the four corridors identified represent the best thinking of both experts and residents.

This effort was the first in the nation to be recognized by the federal government with an environmental streamlining pledge to process plans and documents as a priority. Even so, the process remains a multi-year effort.