Palo Verde Valley – Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) https://www.rctc.org Thu, 11 Aug 2022 15:49:39 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.rctc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/cropped-RCTC-Favicon@4x-32x32.png Palo Verde Valley – Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) https://www.rctc.org 32 32 Commission unanimously adopts Traffic Relief Plan for Riverside County https://www.rctc.org/adopts-trp/ Mon, 18 May 2020 21:24:37 +0000 https://www.rctc.org/?p=74967

The Point: The Traffic Relief Plan is a local strategy to improve traffic flow, safety, and economic opportunity in Riverside County

The Riverside County Transportation Commission unanimously adopted a final Traffic Relief Plan on May 13, following more than a year of in-depth engagement by the Commission, the public, and community stakeholders.

The Traffic Relief Plan responds to the increasing need to upgrade Riverside County’s infrastructure, from highways to Metrolink rail service, to local roads that need safety improvements for motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists.  Within the plan are projects and services identified by community leaders and transportation professionals as top priorities.

Funding to implement these projects and services does not yet exist. The Traffic Relief Plan could be submitted to the voters in a future election, who could elect to fund the plan through a locally controlled half-cent sales tax. The Commission decided to postpone prior plans to place a measure on the 2020 ballot. In the meantime, the Traffic Relief Plan will serve as a reference document for future decision-making.

Commission Chair Ben J. Benoit thanked the public for their involvement in developing the plan.

“We are grateful for your engagement in making Riverside County a better place to live,” Benoit said. “We will remain in touch with you as the Commission continues to work to improve our county’s transportation system.”

The newly adopted Traffic Relief Plan contains:

  • A roadmap for expenditure of $8.8 billion in potential future funding
  • Policies to ensure equity and balance of investments
  • Accountability requirements
  • Locally driven implementation in Riverside County’s three subregions – Western Riverside County, the Coachella Valley, and the Palo Verde Valley (Blythe)

Voter-approved Measure A remains the Commission’s most significant funding source and is tied to specific projects and programs approved by Riverside County voters in 2002.  This Measure A revenue and current funding levels from state, federal, toll, and development fee programs will not be sufficient to deliver all projects in the Measure A expenditure plan before the sales tax measure expires, let alone the additional projects in the Traffic Relief Plan.

To view the final plan, please click on a link below:

]]> RCTC Seeking Your Comments on the Draft Traffic Relief Plan https://www.rctc.org/draft-traffic-relief-plan/ Thu, 09 Jan 2020 22:15:23 +0000 https://www.rctc.org/?p=73509

The Point: Your voice, your plan.

Residents now have an opportunity to help chart a course for Riverside County’s transportation future by providing feedback on a draft Traffic Relief Plan. The plan includes a local strategy to reduce traffic bottlenecks, improve safety, and help create a stronger, more sustainable economy for our communities.

Over the past year, you and thousands of your neighbors talked to us about the transportation improvements that matter most.  RCTC is urging you to visit TrafficReliefPlan.org to view the plan and take a short survey to voice your comments. Feedback will be collected now through June 10.

In addition to relieving traffic, the plan promotes economic investment in the fast-growing – and often slow-moving – 7,300 square-mile county. Incentives are provided for local governments to develop infrastructure that will secure new permanent living-wage jobs in Riverside County and cut commute times.

“Too often, our residents are traveling to other counties for employment. Through incentives and a stronger transportation network, we can bring more jobs closer to home for Riverside County residents,” said RCTC Chair and Wildomar City Council Member Ben Benoit.

Locally-driven strategies are included in the plan to address diverse transportation needs in the Coachella Valley, the Palo Verde Valley (Blythe area) and western Riverside County. In the Coachella Valley, for example, the Coachella Valley Association of Governments would use its Transportation Project Priority Study to guide investments in roads, bridges, traffic signal synchronization, passenger rail, and upgrades to reduce road closures from flooding and wind-blown sand.

In June, RCTC Commissioners representing every city and the entire Board of Supervisors will analyze the feedback and other data to decide whether to place a half-cent per dollar sales tax measure on the November 2020 ballot for voter consideration to fund the Traffic Relief Plan.

Visit TrafficReliefPlan.org for more information and to provide feedback.

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