Clean transit projects share $192 million

California Construction News staff writer

Caltrans has approved $192 million in California Climate Investment funds for 136 public transportation projects designed to cut pollution and create more affordable transportation options, especially for disadvantaged communities.

“More clean and affordable transportation is coming to California, cutting pollution and making it easier for folks to get around,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “These programs are key to our climate goals – building charging stations, getting more EV buses on the roads, and reducing costs for public transit.”

In a separate announcement, Newsom confirmed $40.5 million in federal funding to build 270 electric vehicle (EV) fast chargers at 26 sites along highways. Funded by President Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the state is expected to receive more than $380 million to create 6,600 miles of EV corridors, with at least four fast chargers every 50 miles.

Funded projects include:

• $52 million to fully electrify public bus routes in a transit corridor in Los Angeles County’s North San Fernando Valley;
• $2.5 million to install electric vehicle charging equipment and replace 15 diesel buses with EV buses in a San Mateo County low-income community;
• $9.7 million to build a new fueling station to support 50 hydrogen-powered buses in Orange County – 75% percent of the funding will benefit disadvantaged and low-income neighborhoods;
• $17.5 million for free transit tickets for low-income seniors, youth and people with disabilities in San Francisco;
• $1.6 million to add a new bus route through an underserved community in the south Fresno area;
• $522,292 to install electric chargers and convert a fleet of buses to zero-emissions vehicles in rural Butte County.

For more information about the projects, click here.