http://www.noozhawk.com/article/caltrans_highlights_key_infrastructure_projects_of_2013_20131231
By David Anderson, December 31, 2013
As 2013 comes to a close,
Caltrans
is highlighting a few transportation infrastructure projects completed
this year to help improve mobility, safety and sustainability throughout
California’s transportation system.
“From opening new tunnels and bridges to repairing structures damaged
by catastrophic fire, Caltrans helped strengthen and preserve
California’s great transportation infrastructure,” California State
Transportation Agency Secretary Brian Kelly said. “With this work and
the emerging active transportation program, Caltrans will remain
committed to safety, mobility and sustainability in our transportation
system as it heads into the new year.”
Caltrans made nearly $2.5 billion of improvements to the state highway
system through 542 completed contracts in 2013 while also awarding 433
major highway construction contracts with a value of more than $2.7
billion. Caltrans also continued to restore, upgrade and protect
infrastructure statewide, including more than 88,000 miles of striping
on state highways and 155,000 cubic yards of litter and debris removal.
“As 2013 comes to a close, Caltrans is highlighting a small sample of
the hundreds of completed infrastructure projects that improved
transportation for millions of Californians,” Caltrans Director Malcolm
Dougherty said. “In 2014, Caltrans will build on this momentum and
continue delivering a safer, more mobile and sustainable transportation
system for California.”
Thirteen of the notable 2013 transportation infrastructure projects in California, organized by region, included:
San Diego
» Otay Mesa East Port of Entry — Caltrans and its partners recently
broke ground on the first of three segments of the $717 million Highway
11/Otay Mesa East Port of Entry (POE) Project. Once completed, the
four-lane highway will connect about 2.5 miles from Highway 905 south to
the proposed Otay Mesa East POE at the U.S.-Mexico border. The new
freeway will reduce the frequent wait times for commercial trucks at the
Otay Mesa POE and for vehicles at the San Ysidro POE.
Los Angeles
» Interstate 5/Highway 14 Carpool Connector — Caltrans broke ground on
four major highway widening projects on Interstate 5 in 2013 as part of a
$1.8 billion effort that will expand this crucial California commerce
corridor from six to 10 lanes, including a carpool lane in each
direction. The new I-5/Highway 14 carpool connector reduced travel time
for Los Angeles area motorists who can now transition between I-5 and
Highway 14 without leaving the carpool lane.
» Interstate 5/Highway 2 Tanker Fire Repair — Caltrans worked around
the clock to shore up the tunnel at the Interstate 5/Highway 2
interchange in July after a tanker fire caused extensive damage to
pavement, walls, support columns, drainage and lighting. Caltrans
proceeded with $16.5 million worth of repairs and improvements to fix
the damage and increase safety while improving visibility with bright
paint and LED lights.
Inland Empire
» Colton Crossing Project — Caltrans and its partners delivered this
rail improvement in Colton south of Interstate 10 eight months earlier
than its scheduled 2014 completion and $109 million below the estimated
$202 million cost. The concrete overpass speeds up cargo and cuts diesel
emissions from waiting trains. The project will save $241 million in
travel time and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 34,000 tons of CO2
equivalent annually.
Northern California
» Interstate 80 Improvement from Auburn to Nevada — In October,
Caltrans finished rebuilding 90 miles of Interstate 80 between Auburn
and the Nevada state line. Infrastructure improvements also included
rebuilding seven bridges, improving lighting and drainage, and adding
new traffic monitoring systems. One of California’s critical economic
arteries as well as one of the nation’s three continuous coast-to-coast
highways, this interstate moves $4.7 million worth of commerce closer to
its destination every hour.
» Highway 99 Elverta Road — In the Sacramento area, Caltrans and the
County of Sacramento constructed a new interchange at Highway 99 and
Elverta Road, which optimized traffic flow and safety for motorists by
eliminating the last traffic signal along the 40-mile route between Yuba
City and Sacramento.
» Rim Fire Repairs to Highway 120 — Caltrans employees worked around
the clock to reopen Highway 120 into Yosemite National Park after the
Rim Fire burned approximately 257,000 acres in late summer. In just 18
days, crews removed more than 1,800 damaged trees, repaired almost 800
guardrail posts and replaced numerous signs to reconnect visitors with
this vital link to Yosemite National Park.
Central Valley
» Philip S. Raine Safety Roadside Rest Area — As part of its effort to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save taxpayer money, Caltrans
received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum
certification — the highest possible environmental rating — by the U.S.
Green Building Council for the Philip S. Raine Roadside Rest Area on
Highway 99 in Tulare County. The Raine facility, one of 233 buildings in
California to achieve this milestone, is one hour south of Fresno near
Tipton and serves more than four million visitors annually. Caltrans has
previously earned LEED Gold certification for its Los Angeles office
and LEED Silver certification for the district office in Marysville.
» Highway 99 Madera Rehabilitation — Among the 26 Proposition 1B
projects in the Highway 99 Corridor Program, this was Caltrans’ first to
use of the “design build” project delivery method that combined design
and construction into one contract. Opened on time and on budget, the
$37 million project was funded entirely by Proposition 1B and benefits
65,000 commuters, tourists and truckers daily in this critical corridor.
Central Coast
» Highway 1 Pitkins Curve Bridge and Rockshed Project — In December, a
$39 million a permanent slide repair project on Highway 1 along the Big
Sur coast in Monterey County was completed to install a bridge and rock
shed at Pitkins curve, one of the toughest highway maintenance
challenges along California’s central coast. Extensive landslides had
occurred on the route, often severing travel on the highway for weeks at
a time.
Bay Area
» Devil’s Slide Tunnels Construction — In March, Caltrans opened the
first new highway tunnels in California in nearly 50 years when it cut
the ribbon on the Tom Lantos Tunnels, popularly known as the Devil’s
Slide Project, which are now the longest tunnels in California. The $439
million project features two 4,200-foot-long tunnels, 32 jet-powered
fans for ventilation and 10 fireproof shelters between the tunnels to
protect the public.
» San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge — In September, Caltrans opened the
new San-Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, which is designed to withstand the
strongest earthquake estimated by seismologists to occur over a
1,500-year period. The new span also includes a bike and pedestrian path
that will be extended onto Treasure Island after the old eastern span
is removed.
» Fourth Bore of the Caldecott Tunnel — In November, Caltrans opened
the new fourth bore of the world-class Caldecott Tunnel on Highway 24,
providing two dedicated tunnels in each direction to aid more than
160,000 commuters daily and ending the 50-year-old process of manually
reversing the flow of traffic twice per day along the middle bore. The
fourth bore has been designated as a regional lifeline structure and is
designed to reopen to emergency traffic within 72 hours of a major
earthquake.
In addition to these regional achievements, Caltrans reported a
decade-high 84 percent pavement health rating in 2013, out of the 50,000
lane miles it maintains. While Caltrans typically receives just 17
percent of the funding needed to keep pavement in good condition,
one-time contributions from the voter-approved 2006 Proposition 1B
transportation bond and the 2009 Recovery Act made more projects
possible.
Caltrans also sold nearly $22 million worth of excess property
originally acquired for transportation projects, which was more than $4
million higher than the properties’ estimated market value.
This year, Caltrans also furthered its goal of building a more
sustainable transportation system. During the 2012-13 fiscal year,
ridership rose to a record 5.6 million passengers on three intercity
passenger rail lines funded by the state, and over the past 10 years
ticket revenues from the three lines have skyrocketed from $44 million
to $102 million. Caltrans also released the California State Rail Plan,
which lays out a long-term vision for freight and passenger rail.
In 2014, Caltrans will build on this momentum by implementing the new
Active Transportation Program to fund human-powered transportation
projects and programs. The new program is the nation’s largest state
commitment to bicycling, walking and other active transportation.
Click here for a comprehensive overview of activities undertaken by Caltrans statewide to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.