A year ago, local government officials were cheering when Senate Bill 1, the 12-cent gas tax approved by the California Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown, took effect with a promise of hundreds of millions in funds for Monterey County alone to pay for much-needed road and infrastructure repairs and upgrades.
Projects included things like a new Highway 156 interchange at Castroville Boulevard and a toll road expressway along 156, widening 101 in Salinas and roundabouts along Highway 68.
But even that wasn’t enough money to pay for everything TAMC officials said would be needed to make transportation run more smoothly throughout the county.
Backlash against the SB 1 gas tax was swift, however. Opponents were quick to organize and get Proposition 6 on the Nov. 6 ballot, which would repeal the gas tax, taking away $5.6 billion a year.
In the meantime, state officials are continuing to distribute funds collected in the past year, and Monterey County is set to receive $2.7 million for several projects, TAMC announced Oct. 23.
Most of the money, $1.8 million, will go toward revamping the San Antonio River Bridge on Highway 101 in Bradley, with money coming from the State Highway Operations and Protection Program.
The next largest amount, $500,000 was awarded to the Rail Extension to Monterey County Project from the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program. It’s the second TIRCP allocation to the project, which would extend rail service from Silicon Valley to Salinas. The first allocation announced in April was $10 million for the first phase of the project. TAMC officials expect another $12 million will be allocated in December.
Another $242,000 will be matched with Measure X funds to enable Monterey-Salinas Transit to build an operations/maintenance facility in King City. MST will also use $163,000 to purchase automatic passenger counters to install on transit buses.
Debbie Hale, TAMC’s executive director, pointed out that SB 1 monies help improve safety and mobility and used the announcement to remind voters of what the county could lose, should Prop. 6 pass.
“[It] would removed this critical funding source and reduce our ability to construct many of the local planned road maintenance and regional projects throughout the county,” Hale said in a press release.
(1) comment
I say keep the tax and vote no in November for two reasons. First, it was the Democratic controlled legislature and Governor that imposed this tax. If voters don’t like it, vote in politicians who aren’t tax and spend candidates.
Second, the proposition process is nothing more than a special interest pig pen. Vote NO on all propositions!!! Californians need to learn the hard way that this is what happens when voters turn over the state over to progressive liberals.
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