$28.9 Million Award from U.S. Department of Transportation is Latest Investment in CCTA Bicycle & Pedestrian Safety Projects
Agency secures more than $105 million for active transportation projects across the county
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
Contact Information
Linsey Willis, Director of External Affairs
Contra Costa Transportation Authority
925.256.4728
Issued By
WALNUT CREEK, CA – The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) has been awarded $28.9 million by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to expand programs and projects that make neighborhoods safer to walk and bike in. The funding is provided by the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Discretionary Grant Program, which supports initiatives that focus on preventing deaths and serious injuries on the nation’s roadways.
When applying for the SS4A grant, CCTA focused on five projects aimed at improving countywide bicycle and pedestrian safety and equity, including:
- San Francisco Bay Trail Gap Closure – Martinez Intermodal Station to Crockett (in partnership with the East Bay Regional Park District)
- Richmond Street Complete Streets Improvements (in partnership with the City of El Cerrito)
- L Street Pathway to Transit – Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements (in partnership with the City of Antioch)
- Moraga Road and Canyon Road Complete Streets Improvements (in partnership with the Town of Moraga)
- Antioch Bicycle Garden (in partnership with the City of Antioch and Street Smarts Diablo)
Nearly three quarters of CCTA’s SS4A funding ($21.2 million) is earmarked to serve people living in the county’s underrepresented communities, funding improvements that connect to, or are located in, these neighborhoods. The projects will expand equitable access to multimodal transportation options, and increase connectivity to affordable housing, job centers, recreation areas, and essential services.
U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (CA) applauds the efforts to increase safety for all people walking and biking throughout the county. “Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority has secured nearly $29 million in federal funding to identify and address dangers at critical streets and roadways,” Senator Alex Padilla said. “These projects will make it safer for children heading to school, pedestrians accessing public transit, and cyclists sharing our roads. The initiatives implemented throughout Contra Costa communities supported by this funding will save lives and prevent serious injuries.”
Studies show that between 2008 and 2017, 20% of collisions countywide involved bicyclists or pedestrians, and those collisions account for 40% of the county’s deadly crashes. The projects funded by SS4A will create a suite of safety improvements based on Vision Zero and Complete Streets — policies and strategies designed to reduce injuries and fatalities and improve the overall experience on the road for pedestrians and bicyclists. This will be accomplished through improvements to walkways, ADA-accessible curb ramps, bicycle lanes, increasing visibility of crosswalks and adding crosswalk medians, traffic-calming, and streetscape improvements.
Contra Costa congressional representatives are showing their support for the planned projects, as Contra Costa takes actionable steps to increase safety and provide more active transportation options. “I’m incredibly pleased that this much-needed support to prevent roadway injuries and deaths is headed to Contra Costa County. This funding was made possible through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a law I proudly helped author and pass in Congress. I will always fight for better infrastructure and public transportation through my work in Congress,” said Congressman John Garamendi (CA-08).
Congressman Mark DeSaulnier is excited to see the many opportunities on the horizon for residents of Contra Costa County and highlights the benefits of these projects. “To ease congestion, reduce pollution, and promote public health, we need to make it easier for people to choose bicycling and walking over time in their cars – which is exactly what these projects will do. I am grateful to CCTA for their continued leadership in ensuring the safety, sustainability, and equity of pedestrian and cycling infrastructure and look forward to continuing our shared efforts to promote smart systems of transportation across the Bay Area,” said Congressman DeSaulnier (CA-10).
The new SS4A funding supports ongoing efforts and additional investments in active transportation projects in the county. Just last week, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) approved $48.5 million in additional federal funding for transportation projects across Contra Costa County. The money will help advance and improve pedestrian and bicycle safety projects, Safe Routes to School (STRS) programs, and upgrade existing traffic signals to create a countywide smart signals network. The Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program will grow substantially through this funding to serve all 170,000 students in the county, through the 2026-27 school year.
The investments announced by MTC and USDOT in the past week (totaling $77.4 million) are supplemented by other recent state and regional active transportation grants and federally earmarked funds, bringing CCTA’s total investment in bicycle and pedestrian safety and Safe Routes to Schools to more than $105 million.
CCTA Board Chair Chris Kelley adds that these investments will help improve the quality of life for people throughout the county.
“With the more than $105 million we’ve been awarded to focus our efforts on safe streets projects, we have the opportunity to create an equitable network of resources, meet transportation demands, and save lives. These investments will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on the future of our county,” said Board Chair Kelley.
About the Contra Costa Transportation Authority
The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) is a public agency formed by Contra Costa voters in 1988 to manage the county’s transportation sales tax program and oversee countywide transportation planning efforts. With a staff of twenty people managing a multi-billion-dollar suite of projects and programs, CCTA is responsible for planning, funding and delivering critical transportation infrastructure projects and programs that connect our communities, foster a strong economy, increase sustainability, and safely and efficiently get people where they need to go. CCTA also serves as the county’s designated Congestion Management Agency, responsible for putting programs in place to keep traffic levels manageable. More information about CCTA is available at ccta.net.