February 03, 2021
CTC Allocates $6.45MM for Short Line Improvement Projects Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
The Short-Line Railroad Improvement Program provides funds to short-line railroad infrastructure projects “intended to improve freight mobility, volume thresholds and support modern rail freight traffic and the communities and industries they serve throughout California.” (BNSF)
The California Transportation Commission (CTC) will distribute $6.45 million to seven short line railroad infrastructure projects.
The projects are funded through the 2020 Short-Line Railroad Improvement Program (SLRIP), which was established under California’s Short-Line Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2019. SLRIP provides funds to infrastructure projects intended to “improve freight mobility [and] volume thresholds, and support modern rail freight traffic and the communities and industries they serve throughout California.
The NJDOT is handing out $29 million in grants for railroad projects.
OmniTRAX Inc., a comprehensive logistics solutions provider, reports the Stockton Terminal and Eastern Railroad (STE) was awarded a grant by the California Transportation Commission under the Short-Line Railroad Improvement Program (SLRIP) to replace and/or repair more than 4 miles of track in Stockton, Calif.
“The SLRIP grant will greatly enhance our operational efficiency and rail operations in Stockton and preserve and improve transload capacity to meet increased in demand. The project will also significantly reduce costs, emissions and truck travel in the region. We appreciate the partnership with the San Joaquin Council of Governments, which is helping us safely connect our communities and maintain a safe, efficient and environmentally friendly supply chain,” said Sergio Sabatini, president of OmniTRAX
The California Transportation Commission announced Friday, January 29, the allocation of more than $500 million to address transportation needs throughout the state, including nearly $1 million for the construction of bike lanes in Joshua Tree. Reporter Andrew Dieleman has the details…
To help enhance California’s growing network of bicycle routes, Caltrans has allocated $942,000 for the construction and improvement of bike lanes on Sunburst Avenue in Joshua Tree. This will include the extension of class I bike lanes north approximately 1.5 miles to Calle Los Amigos, as well as the widening and striping of travel lanes. Caltrans Director Toks Omishakin stated the project will also help maintain roadways and advance efforts to address climate change. A starting date for the project has not been announced.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) appointed Chanell Fletcher, currently ClimatePlan’s Executive Director, to oversee its work on environmental justice and racial equity. Fletcher will be the point person on environmental justice within the agency and provide input on “CARB’s programs designed to address disproportionate impacts from air pollution and climate change and associated chronic health conditions affecting Black, Latinx and other communities of color across the state,” according to the press announcement.
The appointment is “a really big deal,” according to CARB Executive Officer Director Richard Corey, “and important for the organization going forward.”
Fletcher, who for years has advocated for environmental justice at CARB and other state agencies, knows this. “Now, more than ever, it’s imperative that we move to a model where we’re actively building relationships and trust with partners in the environmental and racial justice movement,” s
Latest effort to stabilize railroad tracks done in Del Mar
Contractors have completed the latest Del Mar bluff stabilization project, which began in May at the stormwater drain near Seventh Street.
(K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Fourth of six phases completed in decades-long project
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Planning and transportation officials announced last week they have finished their latest effort to safeguard the railroad tracks on the eroding coastal bluffs in Del Mar.
The work began in May and included the installation of additional concrete-and-steel support columns, the replacement of a drainage channel along the top of the bluffs, and improvements to storm drains that carry water to the beach.