California awards $26 million for transportation, including on the Central Coast
July 1, 2025
By KAREN VELIE
Caltrans today announced its award of $26.5 million in planning grants for 65 local projects to strengthen climate resiliency, reduce planet-warming pollution and improve bicycle and pedestrian safety. This includes four projects in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.
“These selected projects will greatly improve mobility statewide by supporting multimodal transportation and help our under-resourced communities become more climate resilient,” said Caltrans Director Dina El-Tawansy. “By supporting our local and tribal partners, California can maintain a sustainable, adaptable and resilient transportation system to help all Californians become better connected.”
Projects includes:
- $354,000 for a climate adaptation vulnerability analysis of a 12-mile segment of Highway 1 between San Simeon and Cambria and other road segments in each community. The study aims to develop actionable recommendations for future projects that improve the corridor’s functionality, resilience, and overall benefit to surrounding communities.
- $370,000 for a rebrand and update of the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments’ twelve-year-old Park & Ride Lot Study. The goals is to develope a plan to elevate existing park and ride facilities into a modern mobility hub network to include Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Grover Beach, Morro Bay, Paso Robles, Pismo Beach, San Luis Obispo and SLO County.
- $383,016 for planning work to help accomplish a variety of planning efforts for 30% design of a selected alternative for what will ultimately become a 10-mile-long multi-use path Buellton, Santa Ynez and Solvang. The future path will provide the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians with long-needed safe access to local schools, grocery stores, medical facilities, employment opportunities, and other vital destinations, while filling critical gaps in the Santa Ynez Valley’s active transportation network and adapting the region to expanding bike-tourism.
- $160,000 for a State Route 135 corridor study to identify opportunities for improvement along the corridor between the unincorporated community of Orcutt and the City of Santa Maria in northern Santa Barbara County. This study will have a wide scope, considering all road users and addressing safety, mobility, congestion, access management, and emissions reduction.
Caltrans awards transportation planning grants each year through a competitive process. These grants assist in achieving the Caltrans mission to advance state transportation and climate goals by identifying and addressing statewide, interregional or regional transportation deficiencies on the highway system.
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