The City of Ventura will use its first SB 1 dollars to repair the roadway on Johnson Drive between Bristol Road and Highway 101. Construction began in June and will take two to three months to complete depending on weather conditions. The $2 million-dollar project, supplemented with gas tax funding, includes replacement of asphalt pavement, concrete sidewalk repair, and installation of sidewalk access ramps to ensure safety and mobility for pedestrians and motorists.
“Repairing our streets is a top priority,” said Mayor Matt LaVere. “This is Ventura’s first project using SB 1 funds, making it possible to accelerate road projects and provide residents with safer, smoother roads.”
Johnson Drive is a heavily traveled corridor and was identified to have poor road quality during the City’s pavement condition index analysis. Because of funding from Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, drivers will benefit and see road improvements much sooner than anticipated. The following projects are on the fast track to completion due to SB 1 funding in the 2019-2020 fiscal year:
- Ralston Street from Portola Road to Victoria Avenue, slated for fall 2019
- Victoria Avenue from Telephone Road to Highway 126, slated for spring 2020
Statewide, SB 1 is expected to generate more than $5 billion annually for road repairs, to ease traffic congestion, to fill potholes, make seismic safety improvements to bridges and overpasses, and repair local streets and freeways. Funding in SB 1 is split equally between state and local governments. SB 1 also includes accountability provisions and constitutional protections, such as the creation of the Office of Inspector General, to ensure the funding is spent wisely and on transportation projects only.
California has a backlog of $130 billion in needed road maintenance projects ($57 billion in state highways; $73 billion in local streets and roads).
