TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Kim Summers, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Kristen M. Crane, Assistant City Manager
SUBJECT: Riverside County Transportation Commission Presentation
Regarding 2024 Draft Update to the Regional Traffic Relief Plan
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RECOMMENDATION
recommendation
Review the Riverside County Transportation Commission's 2024 draft update to the Regional Traffic Relief Plan;
Receive a presentation; and
Provide comments on the proposed plan.
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PRIOR ACTION/VOTE
None.
CITY COUNCIL GOAL
Plan, program and create infrastructure development.
BACKGROUND
The Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC), led by a Board of Directors comprised of a City Council representative from each of the 28 cities, all five County supervisors, and a representative of Caltrans, is responsible for highway and transit planning for the entirety of Riverside County.
In May 2020, RCTC adopted a Traffic Relief Plan (TRP), which is a transportation infrastructure planning and funding strategy for Riverside County residents. The TRP was developed over a years-long public engagement effort amongst Riverside County residents, its leaders, and local stakeholder groups to identify solutions to fund a backlog of transportation improvements and to conceptualize the future transportation and mobility needs to support the County's growing population and economy. This outreach included launching the #RebootMyCommute public engagement program in 2019, generating thousands of public comments from residents, which were then used to finalize the Plan. Ultimately, RCTC decided not to move forward with a funding strategy in 2020 but did opt to approve the TRP as a statement of long-term transportation priorities. The 2020 TRP identified the Commission's vision, values, and long-term transportation priorities for Riverside County.
The extent of Riverside County's transportation needs has not changed since the TRP was adopted in 2020. However, the cost of delivering transportation projects has significantly increased, and Riverside County's population continues to grow faster than nearly all other parts of California.
At its February 2023 Commission Workshop, the RCTC Commissioners held dynamic discussions regarding the need for transportation funding to keep up with the population growth, adjust to new state transportation policies, and ease the traffic and congestion burden felt by Riverside County residents. At that time, the Commission directed its staff to review the Commission-adopted 2020 Traffic Relief Plan (TRP or Plan) and make recommendations for updates based on new information, including population growth, new state transportation policies, available funding, and changes in technology, as well as projects that have now been completed and newly identified needs.
The draft 2024 Plan (Attachment 1) identifies eight project category investment types, including safe streets and roads, highways, public transportation, regional connections, commuter assistance, active transportation, flood & blowsand control, and environmental mitigation.
The TRP maintains the three geographic subregions identified in the voter-approved 1989 and 2002 Measure A expenditure plans and ensures that revenues raised for the Plan in each subregion remain there and cannot be moved to other parts of the county:
• Palo Verde Valley (Blythe area);
• Coachella Valley; and
• Western Riverside County (Riverside and Corona areas, Moreno Valley and Perris areas, Hemet-San Jacinto Valley, San Gorgonio Pass, and Temecula-Murrieta-Lake Elsinore areas).
The forecasted value of the projects identified in the TRP is $25 billion, approximately distributed among the three geographic subregions as follows:
• $100 million in Palo Verde Valley
• $5 billion in Coachella Valley
• $20 billion in Western Riverside County
The TRP was drafted to serve as an expenditure plan for a possible voter-approved one-cent sales tax measure, which may possibly appear on the November 2024 ballot. Until a sales tax measure to fund the Plan is placed before the voters and approved, the Plan is aspirational, and the financial and other mandatory requirements of the Plan would not be operative.
RCTC staff is conducting in-person and digital public engagement and outreach efforts to receive feedback on the draft 2024 TRP through March 31, 2024. Public input will be considered as the Commission finalizes the Plan (scheduled for April 2024) and determines if a new measure will be placed on the November 2024 general election ballot. As part of the March 19th presentation to the Murrieta City Council, there is an opportunity to provide feedback on the draft plan on behalf of the City of Murrieta.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this item.
ATTACHMENTS
1. RCTC 2024 Traffic Relief Plan Draft Update