STA members to head to D.C., to discuss county transit projects

STA members to head to D.C., to discuss county transit projects
By Danny Bernardini/ DBernardini@TheReporter.com
Posted: 01/15/2009 06:58:52 AM PST

The Solano Transportation Authority looked toward the future Wednesday night while discussing a list of projects and priorities to discuss when members head to Washington, D.C., next month.

Those visiting the nation's capitol in February will be bringing with them a list of county-wide projects they hope will be eligible for funding if federal economic stimulus packages are approved.

Some of those projects included in that list is the McGary Road Regional Bike Path in Fairfield, the State Park Road overcrossing in Benicia, the Vacaville-Dixon Bike Route, the Baylink Ferry Maintenance Facility in Vallejo, the Interstate 80 truck scales relocation and the I-80/680/Highway 12 interchange.

Included in the proposed stimulus package is a significant investment in transportation. It is still unknown how much of the package would be given to transportation or how the money would be awarded.

Some discussions in the state have mentioned awarding a third of the money to the highway system, a third to regions and a third going directly to local governments, according to staff reports.

There have also been discussions on whether to allocate the funds on a tiered approach, awarding dollars to projects that could be ready to go in three to six months, one year and two years.

Also discussed Wednesday was adopting a platform and policies for the upcoming legislative year. This list contains several goals such as supporting legislation that increases the funding level for Solano County projects and also includes other ideas such as supporting the conversion of public transit fleets to alternative fuels.

Other goals include promoting bicycling as a commuter option, supporting employers offering incentives for those that commute to work and to monitor any new bridge toll proposals.

The STA board discussed some aspects of the list and will communicate between each other on finalizing a list before meeting with federal representatives.

For a full list of the goals and projects, visit www.solanolinks.com.