SBCAG staff
City of Lompoc Transit, Santa Maria Regional Transit, SBCAG Clean Air Express, Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District, and LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency will receive funding for transformative transportation projects and improvements to rail infrastructure countywide.
In a significant boost for Santa Barbara County’s public transit and rail infrastructure, the California State Transportation Agency awarded over $70 million to the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) and local transit and rail partners from the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program. SBCAG secured the substantial funding after participating in two successful applications to revitalize and expand transportation options, create 1,700 jobs, and improve rail infrastructure with transformative projects countywide.
The California State Transportation Agency announced the funding awards this week, revealing that twenty-seven projects will receive a total of $1.3 billion from Cycle 7 of the statewide Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program.
$51.3 million was awarded to SBCAG’s Charging Forward Project in partnership with the City of Lompoc Transit, Santa Maria Regional Transit (SMRT), and Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD). The partners committed more than an $85 million match with state and local funds to deliver the projects and secure the award.
“It’s a proud moment for SBCAG and all the local partners who creatively joined forces to work smarter and more efficiently as a team for the benefit of the communities we serve,” said SBCAG Board Chair and County Supervisor Steve Lavagnino. “This award brings over $70 million in taxpayer dollars back into our region to make it easier for all of us to get to work, school, and all the essential services we rely on.”
The Charging Forward Project funds the following initiatives countywide:
Transit Electrification:
- Electric Buses: Enhance sustainable transportation by purchasing 23 new electric buses for the City of Lompoc Transit, Santa Barbara MTD, and SBCAG Clean Air Express ($14.4 million).
Innovative Transit:
- Countywide Contactless Payment System: Introduce a Contactless Integrated Fare System to create a single transit payment system countywide to accept contactless credit and debit card payments, improving the transfer of discounts and ridership data collection ($2.25 million).
- Bus Rapid Transit: Establish a high-quality bus-based public transportation system for Santa Maria Regional Transit featuring dedicated bus lanes, level boarding stations, signal prioritization, and modern buses along State Route 135/Broadway, the City’s most congested corridor ($1.5 million).
Transit Facilities:
- Santa Barbara MTD: Complete the funding needed to construct the new Operations and Maintenance Terminal 2 Phase 2 facility in the City of Goleta, including replacing the existing 6,200-square-foot building with a new 10,000-square-foot building designed to safely accommodate the personnel, equipment, and systems needed to operate the battery-electric buses that will be housed, maintained, and charged at the facility ($18 million).
- City of Lompoc Transit: Complete the funding needed to construct the Lompoc Transit Facility and implement Photovoltaic Solar Canopies for solar energy and a microgrid storage system to operate and manage the City’s growing fleet of electric buses ($5.45 million).
- Santa Maria Regional Transit: Construct transit facilities in the Cities of Santa Maria and Buellton to serve as an electric transit charging hub for multiple transit providers with bus rapid charging during layovers ($9.5 million).
An additional $63 million was awarded to Facilitating and Accelerating Service Transformations on the Central Coast Program (FAST Central Coast Program), a collaborative effort of the Coast Rail Coordinating Council involving the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments, the Transportation Agency for Monterey County, SBCAG, and LOSSAN The Rail Corridor Agency. $22 million of the FAST Central Coast Program award will directly fund rail infrastructure in Santa Barbara County for the Ortega Rail Siding Project, allowing for future service expansion.
“I am proud to have been a strong advocate for the $70 million provided by the California State Transportation Agency,” said Senator Monique Limón. “This funding will go towards creating new environmentally friendly modes of transportation within our counties and cities and building increased connectivity between our entire community.”
“The State of California’s $70 million grant awards to SBCAG and its partners for clean transportation projects in our region is a big win,” said Assemblymember Gregg Hart. “This funding will significantly increase the number of electric buses on our roads, upgrade transit facilities, deploy new solar energy projects, and enhance our rail infrastructure. These improvements will make it easier for local residents to commute affordably and safely while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
“We are incredibly grateful for the investment the state is making in our region and along the rail corridor serving the Central Coast,” said SBCAG Executive Director Marjie KIRN. “We are eager to work on these life changing transportation opportunities for a better life for our residents and generations to come.”
The public is encouraged to follow the progress of these transportation investments and more by signing up for news alerts on the SBCAG website at www.sbcag.org, calling (805) 961-8900, or emailing info@sbcag.org.
About the Transit Intercity Rail Capital Program:
Over $1.3 billion was awarded in Cycle 7 from the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) through the California Transportation State Transportation Agency, supporting twenty-seven projects statewide.
TIRCP was created by Senate Bill (SB) 862 (Chapter 36, Statutes of 2014) and modified by Senate Bill 9 (Chapter 710, Statutes of 2015) to provide grants from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) to fund transformative capital improvements that will modernize California’s intercity, commuter, and urban rail systems, and bus and ferry transit systems, to significantly reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, vehicle miles traveled, and congestion.
About the California State Transportation Agency:
The California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) develops and coordinates California’s transportation policies and programs to achieve the state’s mobility, safety, equity, and environmental sustainability objectives. The agency oversees the policies and activities of California’s eight state organizations that deliver transportation-related programs and services and support the movement of people and goods throughout the state.
About the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments:
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) is a regional transportation planning agency for Santa Barbara County that takes on big challenges, aiming to find solutions for sustainable transportation, housing, and equitable quality of life across Santa Barbara County.
The agency was established in 1966 as a voluntary council of governments. It is recognized as an independent public agency under a joint powers agreement executed by Santa Barbara County and each of the county’s eight city governments. The governing board consists of all five county board of supervisors plus one representative from each city council. SBCAG is an agency uniquely poised to provide a forum for regional collaboration and to create transformative regional change.
