January 12, 2006

GOV. SCHWARZENEGGER ILLUSTRATES NEED FOR STRATEGIC GROWTH PLAN FOR LESS TRAFFIC, CLEANER AIR AND MORE JOBS

Gov. Schwarzenegger demonstrated how his Strategic Growth Plan would improve the lives of the people of California by decreasing the amount of time they will spend in traffic, creating more jobs and improving air quality along Interstate 880 in Fremont today.

"For too many people, gridlock has become a way of life. We need to start work on our infrastructure," said Gov. Schwarzenegger. "It's part of everything that's happening in California. Our economy is growing, our population is growing and the demand for infrastructure is growing. It's time to stop talking about it, and do something about it. So I say build it."

Interstate 880 is one of the busiest stretches of freeway in the entire Bay Area, carrying approximately 180,000 cars a day. This 880 project will relieve congestion by adding two new lanes to this highway making commutes easier and faster and reducing air pollution. The Governor's Strategic Growth Plan includes $100 million in proposed funding for improvements to the Alameda County 880 corridor.

In addition to the two new lanes, bond funds from the Strategic Growth Plan are intended to fund improvements to interchanges, on and off ramps and auxiliary lanes to eliminate bottlenecks and smooth the traffic flow.

Since the 1960s, the total number of registered vehicles in California has increased from 9 million to approximately 30 million and vehicle miles traveled in the state have increased from 33.3 billion to approximately 183 billion each year. The Department of Transportation expects a 35 percent increase in congestion over the next 10 years. The Governor's Strategic Growth Plan is designed to address these problems by reducing congestion 18 percent over the next decade and building more than 1,200 miles of new highway and HOV lanes in congested areas and adding 600 miles of mass transit.

To fund and protect this investment, the Governor's Strategic Growth Plan includes:

• $107 billion total investment in transportation infrastructure over the next decade
  • $47 billion from existing funding sources such as Proposition 42 and federal funds.
  • $48 billion in new funding is proposed from leveraging existing funds.
  • $12 billion in new bond funds to attract increased federal, local and private funding. These bonds would be approved by California voters in two $6 billion authorizations in 2006 and 2008.
• Protecting Proposition 42 permanently through a constitutional amendment to eliminate the option for future governors and legislatures to suspend funding.
• Using design-build contracting and design-sequencing construction to deliver projects more quickly and efficiently.
• Pursuing public-private partnerships to complete projects such as high occupancy toll lanes, regular toll lanes, truck lanes and freight movement facilities where a predictable revenue stream will be created to re-pay capital investments.
• Road and port congestion produces pollution which decreases productivity and increases health care costs. For this reason, the Governor's plan also includes $1 billion in bonds to be matched by $1 billion in funding from other sources to reduce goods-movement related pollution.
  

Governor's Remarks

It's great to be here in the Bay Area. I love coming back here. This time I'm here for one of the most important reasons and that is to build transportation projects.

"Every day you get caught up in traffic. In the last 10 years the population here increased by 800,000. And it's going to continue to increase by another 800,000 over the next 10 years. Think what this will mean for the traffic here which already takes time away from your families chokes the air with pollution and slows down our economy.

For too many people gridlock has become a way of life. We need to start working on our infrastructure. We need to build more roads.

It's part of everything that's happening in California. Our economy is growing, our population is growing and the demand for infrastructure is growing.

It's time to stop talking about it, and do something about it. So I say build it.

I have proposed a Strategic Growth Plan for California that will put billions of dollars into new roads, overpasses, bridges, and innovative projects to speed up the commute everywhere across California. And we can do it in a responsible way without raising taxes.

Where I'm standing here at Interstate 880 is one of the busiest stretches of freeway in the entire Bay Area. About 180,000 cars a day pass over these lanes, and create tremendous congestion.

But right here is a perfect example of how we can fix the problem. The 880 interchange behind me is being rebuilt to include two more lanes to relieve the congestion around here. And I want to see more of this happen all along the 880 corridor to make the commute easier and faster and cut down on air pollution.

That is why my Strategic Growth Plan includes $100 Million to improve the 880 between Oakland and San Jose.

We will build and improve the interchanges on and off ramps and auxiliary lanes which will eliminate the bottlenecks, and allow the trucks to deliver goods faster to and from the Port of Oakland.

And with our Strategic Growth Plan, we will also strengthen our Freeway Service Patrols.

Let's not forget that even the smallest accident can create big delays on our roads.

With my Strategic Growth Plan, we can make these kinds of improvements all across our state. That includes: 9,000 miles of road improvements 550 new miles of HOV lanes an increase in mass transit use by almost 40 percent 8,500 miles of bike and pedestrian paths and much more.

My Plan will reduce congestion by nearly 20 percent over the next 10 years even with the population growth our state will experience. But this plan is not just about numbers. It is about building a better quality of life for everyone in our state.

It's about having more time with your families instead of being stuck in traffic.

It's about getting rid of air pollution which is good for everyone's health.

With our Strategic Growth Plan, it's time for us to make the investment in California's future because I always invest in what I believe in. And I believe in California. I have faith in California.

This is the greatest state in the greatest country in the world. I say we should accept nothing less than a plan for our future that matches the highest aspirations of our people.

A detailed overview of the Governor's Strategic Growth Plan

A working list of proposed transportation projects

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