California needs “all-of-the-above” transportation infrastructure funding strategy

OPINION – Since the passage of the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) in 2021, and the state’s passage of Senate Bill 1 in 2017, California is investing record amounts to improve our state’s long-neglected and deteriorating transportation infrastructure system. This includes historic investments in public transportation, mass transit and active transportation, as well as traditional transportation infrastructure projects to improve local streets and roads, fixing potholes, bridge safety improvements, and reducing congestion on highways and freeways.

This balanced approach to transportation infrastructure funding is the right approach to address the needs of residents in a state as large and diverse as California.

There are some who are calling for an end to investments in traditional transportation infrastructure like congestion relief, local streets and roads upgrades, and freeway and highway capacity improvements that they say will increase vehicle miles traveled. These restrictive policies would harm millions of Californians who rely on safe roads and highways every day, and would disproportionately impact low-income, disadvantaged Californians and communities of color.

As the leader of an organization representing 80,000 diverse union construction workers who build and repair California’s infrastructure, and the leader of a social justice organization advocating for disadvantaged residents, we support an “all-of-the-above” strategy for transportation infrastructure investments. We are joined by a broad coalition of local governments, labor unions, business leaders and social justice advocates.

We fully support and have been proud advocates of projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions to improve air quality and address climate change, including investments in public transit and active transportation like bike and pedestrian lanes.

Through state and federal funding, California is investing tens of billions of dollars over the coming years in these projects – record amounts. Based on formula funding alone, California will receive about $10.3 billion over five years under the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to improve public transportation options across the state with additional grant funding available to cities and our state.

And California’s 2023-2024 state budget provides $5.1 billion in  funding for public transit— $4 billion in Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program funding and $1.1 billion in zero-emission vehicle transit funding. Furthermore, under SB 1 funding, California has invested $4.3 billion in planned, completed or in-progress transit, commuter rail, bike and walking path projects in just the last five years.

These are priority projects for the state and for our members.

But we must not neglect needed investments in the backbone transportation infrastructure that the overwhelming majority of residents need: local street and road repairs, filling potholes, freeway and highway congestion relief, bridge safety repairs, and goods movement projects.

Neglecting these projects will cost all Californians time and money and deteriorate our quality of life – while disproportionately impacting disadvantaged communities.

According to TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit, 52% of California’s major roads are in poor or mediocre condition. Driving on deteriorated roads costs California motorists $22 billion a year – $808 per driver – in the form of additional repairs, accelerated vehicle depreciation, and increased fuel consumption and tire wear. These impacts hurt low-income and disadvantaged families by taking up a larger share of their overall income.

Studies confirm long commutes on congested roads and freeways have a disproportionate impact on people of color and lower-income families. According to the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, “due in part to the high cost of housing near job and transit centers, many low- and moderate-income individuals are stuck with long commutes in vehicles that are older, less efficient, and costlier to maintain than the average privately owned vehicle.”

The evidence is clear: policies that exclude vital transportation projects hurt us all, especially those who can least afford it. Inclusive transportation infrastructure investments – an “all-of-the-above” strategy — benefits all Californians without leaving people behind.

Jacob Sandoval is executive director for California League of United Latin American Citizens LULAC, the largest and oldest Hispanic organization in the United States.

Michael Quigley is executive director of the California Alliance for Jobs, represents more than 2,000 heavy construction companies and 80,000 union construction workers from Bakersfield to the Oregon border.