The Point: The Traffic Relief Plan is a local strategy to improve traffic flow, safety, and economic opportunity in Riverside County
The Riverside County Transportation Commission unanimously adopted a final Traffic Relief Plan on May 13, following more than a year of in-depth engagement by the Commission, the public, and community stakeholders.
The Traffic Relief Plan responds to the increasing need to upgrade Riverside County’s infrastructure, from highways to Metrolink rail service, to local roads that need safety improvements for motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists. Within the plan are projects and services identified by community leaders and transportation professionals as top priorities.
Funding to implement these projects and services does not yet exist. The Traffic Relief Plan could be submitted to the voters in a future election, who could elect to fund the plan through a locally controlled half-cent sales tax. The Commission decided to postpone prior plans to place a measure on the 2020 ballot. In the meantime, the Traffic Relief Plan will serve as a reference document for future decision-making.
Commission Chair Ben J. Benoit thanked the public for their involvement in developing the plan.
“We are grateful for your engagement in making Riverside County a better place to live,” Benoit said. “We will remain in touch with you as the Commission continues to work to improve our county’s transportation system.”
The newly adopted Traffic Relief Plan contains:
- A roadmap for expenditure of $8.8 billion in potential future funding
- Policies to ensure equity and balance of investments
- Accountability requirements
- Locally driven implementation in Riverside County’s three subregions – Western Riverside County, the Coachella Valley, and the Palo Verde Valley (Blythe)
Voter-approved Measure A remains the Commission’s most significant funding source and is tied to specific projects and programs approved by Riverside County voters in 2002. This Measure A revenue and current funding levels from state, federal, toll, and development fee programs will not be sufficient to deliver all projects in the Measure A expenditure plan before the sales tax measure expires, let alone the additional projects in the Traffic Relief Plan.
To view the final plan, please click on a link below: