Caltrans Releases Draft 2024 State Highway Operation and Protection Program Project List for Public Comment with Interactive Dashboard

Press release from Caltrans:

 Caltrans [this month] released the draft 2024 State Highway Operation and Protection Program (SHOPP) plan, the state’s primary funding program for maintaining and preserving California’s transportation infrastructure.

The draft, which features a new interactive dashboard detailing the location and specifics on approximately $16 billion in projects, will be open for public comment through Jan. 19, 2024. The list of approximately 600 projects throughout the state includes approximately 100 carryover projects where Caltrans later added climate adaptation, additional safety protections, and bike and pedestrian elements. These projects had been developed before the state’s adoption of the Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure (CAPTI) in 2021. The added elements were funded by approximately $600 million from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The 195 new projects being added to the SHOPP reflect planning work largely completed after CAPTI implementation. These projects, totaling $6.2 billion, include many climate, safety and multimodal features within the overall “fix it first” framework established in Senate Bill (SB) 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017.

The SHOPP covers four fiscal years (FY 24/25 through 27/28) and funds roadway and bridge rehabilitation or replacements, along with safety improvements, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, operational improvements, and climate adaptation projects.

For increased transparency, Caltrans incorporated the interactive dashboard to allow the public to map, search and download all the proposed projects, including significant details on the project scope.

“Caltrans is focused on maintaining and improving the state’s transportation network so that it is safer, more reliable and more climate resilient,” said Caltrans Director Tony Tavares. “We are also committed to transparency to ensure the public has the opportunity to be engaged before we move forward with projects.”

In line with the “fix it first” philosophy, the SHOPP’s primary focus is fixing and maintaining the state highway system. Along with keeping the state highway system in a state of good repair, the SHOPP also includes additional objectives, such as improving safety for all road users; increasing bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure; ensuring projects are equitably distributed in rural and urban centers and throughout all socioeconomic sections; and providing for climate adaptation.

Proposed funding includes:

• $8 billion to improve more than 6,000 lane-miles of pavement.
• $3.2 billion to repair and upgrade 80 bridges and tunnels.
• $900 million for safety improvements.
• $666 million to upgrade drainage systems by repairing more than 58 miles of culverts and diversions.
• $604 million for 1,400 new and improved signals, signs, ramps, and metering systems.
• Nearly $400 million to make infrastructure more resilient to the impacts of climate change. The prior SHOPP had no dedicated investment for climate resiliency.
• $280 million for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.
• $173 million for improved highway/interstate signage and lighting.

Interested parties are encouraged to review the draft SHOPP online dashboard at projectbook.dot.ca.gov. The website includes a link to submit online comments on the draft SHOPP.

Building on the SHOPP transportation efforts, the 2023 State Highway System Management Plan (SHSMP), released earlier this year, lays out the future objectives for SHOPP projects. The 2023 SHSMP is organized to incorporate more climate-friendly elements into maintenance projects and presents a performance-driven, integrated management plan for California’s state highway system’s needs, investments, and performance for the 10-year period spanning through June 2033.

About the SHOPP: Every two years, Caltrans is required to submit the program to the California Transportation Commission (CTC) for approval after a public comment review. The program is funded primarily through the fuel excise tax, federal funding, and road maintenance and rehabilitation funds. The 2024 SHOPP project selections are made by each of the 12 Caltrans districts and must meet over 30 performance objectives identified in the 2021 State Highway System Management Plan. Project planning began in July 2021 and culminated in June 2023.