Member-Designated Transportation Projects
The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) plans to advance surface transportation authorization legislation, building on H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act, from the 116th Congress. Chairman Peter DeFazio announced that the T&I Committee will formally accept requests for projects from House Members. The T&I Committee process for considering member projects is separate and distinct from the House Committee on Appropriations’ process for considering Community Project Funding requests. Projects funded through the surface transportation authorization will be funded directly from the Highway Trust Fund, and they do not require a separate or subsequent appropriation.
Project Eligibility: Capital projects eligible under title 23, United States Code, and chapter 53 of title 49, United States Code, are eligible for funding requests under T&I’s project submission process. Further, project sponsors must demonstrate the ability to fully obligate any funds provided within the obligation window, and must demonstrate a proven ability to finance the remaining costs not funded by the Committee, as well as the required non-federal cost share.
Transparency: All requests submitted by Congressman Levin to the T&I Committee are posted below. Members will be required to certify that neither they nor their immediate family have a financial interest in the requests made.
Listed below are the projects Rep. Levin has submitted to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
NOTE: The projects are listed in alphabetical order by project name.
Project name: City of Vista Sidewalk Improvement Project on Nevada Avenue and Lemon Avenue
Location: Nevada Avenue and Lemon Avenue, Vista, CA 92084
Sponsor: City of Vista
Requested Amount: $825,460
Project description: This project involves the installation of frontage improvements along the southside of Nevada Avenue, from N. Santa Fe Avenue to Lemon Avenue, and eastside of Lemon Avenue, from Nevada Avenue to Raintree Place. Specific activities include: frontage improvements such as road widening, installation of new curbs, gutters, driveways, and sidewalks; installation of ADA concrete corner ramps at every corner; relocation of water meters and fire hydrants; and restriping of the streets with typical road markings and highly visible pedestrian crosswalks.
Project benefit: More than 11,000 people—including nearly 4,000 children and 500 seniors—call this neighborhood home. An estimated 200 households lack access to a vehicle, and instead rely on public transportation and pedestrian mobility. Discretionary funding from the surface transportation authorization legislation to improve sidewalks on Nevada Avenue and Lemon Avenue will make this Vista neighborhood safer; improve residents’ overall well-being; and provide protected access to multimodal transit, neighborhood schools, other community resources, and businesses.
Project name: El Camino Real to Via De LaValle, San Diego, CA
Location: El Camino Real, San Diego, CA 92014
Sponsor: City of San Diego
Requested amount: $2.5 million
Project description: This project involves replacing the existing two-lane bridge with a four-lane bridge and widening the existing two-lane roadway to a modified four-lane major road. This project will provide for improvements on eastbound Via de la Valle as far as northbound El Camino Real, and will replace the existing bridge and modify the segment of El Camino Real between Via de la Valle and San Dieguito Road.
Project benefit: The project is anticipated to ensure a structurally sound bridge over the San Dieguito river, alleviate problems associated with high flood events, improve pedestrian and vehicular access to nearby coastal and recreational resources, relieve traffic congestion, and improve consistency with the adopted land-use plan for the project area. Project also includes sidewalk and bike facility.
Project name: Leucadia Streetscape Phase 2 (shown in the TransNet as North Coast Highway 101 Beautification)
Location: North Coast Highway 101 (A Street to Basil Street), Encinitas, CA 92024
Sponsor: City of Encinitas
Requested amount: $4 million
Project description: This project involves improvements on North Coast Highway 101 between A Street and La Costa Avenue including: new curb, gutter and landscaping; pedestrian facilities on both sides of the street; dedicated buffered bicycle lanes; lane reconfiguration (including a reduction in the number of vehicular travel lanes in each direction); and, four roundabouts to facilitate traffic calming and more efficiently move vehicular traffic.
Project benefit: The project is anticipated to improve multi-modal mobility to and through the North Coast Highway 101 corridor. It will provide traffic calming, and improve safety by providing improved sidewalks, new pedestrian crossings with flashing beacons, and new buffered bike lanes.
Project name: LOSSAN Corridor Improvements
Location: Del Mar, CA 92014
Sponsor: San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG)
Requested amount: $12.5 million
Project description: This project advances an upgrade to the Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor (LOSSAN Corridor) along the Del Mar Bluffs, where the rail line is within feet of the coastline on delicate cliffs that experience annual and episodic erosion, including several failures over the past two years alone. Specifically, the funding would complete an estimated 15 percent level of design to move the tracks completely off the sensitive coastal bluffs, and would also advance technical analysis to support design, complete technical studies in support of the future environmental document, and complete additional public outreach.
Project benefit: Project provides climate benefits, by creating a better alternative to auto commuting that will reduce auto VMT and thereby reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It also has social equity benefits, since improved commuter rail service with convenient connections to the regional transit system provides better access to jobs for workers throughout San Diego County. Additional benefits include good movement, job creation, and safety benefits.
Project name: SR-74 Lower Ortega Highway Widening
Location: State Route 74/Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
Sponsor: County of Orange, CA - Orange County Transportation Authority
Requested amount: $20 million
Project description: The project involves widening State Route 74 (SR-74) in the City of San Juan Capistrano and unincorporated Orange County. The total length of the project is 1.1 miles and it will provide one additional 12-ft lane in each direction, and a 12 ft painted median at the western portion within the project limits. A paved 5-ft and 8-ft shoulder will be provided on each side of the roadway to accommodate Class II (striped on-road) bicycle facilities.
Project benefit: The project is anticipated to relieve existing and future traffic congestion and improve the flow of traffic on SR-74. It will accommodate planned growth and development in the surrounding areas, remove a chokepoint, and provide improvements consistent with local planning documents.
Project name: South Santa Fe Project Phase I
Location: South Santa Fe Avenue and Buena Creek Drive, San Marcos/Vista, CA 92084
Sponsor: County of San Diego
Requested amount: $5 million
Project description: The project involves re-alignment and widening of South Santa Fe Avenue to improve operations at this intersection by adding a “free-flow” eastbound through lane, extended turn lane pockets, and buffered bike lanes that can also serve as a shoulder to facilitate emergency vehicle access. The project will also widen Buena Creek Road south of the North County Transit District (NCTD) right-of-way to include additional turn lanes.
Project benefit: The project is anticipated to reduce traffic congestion, improve pedestrian and bicyclist’s accessibility and safety, and improve emergency response times at this regionally significant road segment adjacent to the NCTD Sprinter station.