Chapter 2.3 - Long-Range Transportation Planning

California Government Code — §§ 65070-65075

Sections (11)

Added by Stats. 1992, Ch. 1177, Sec. 3. Effective September 30, 1992.

(a)The Legislature finds and declares, consistent with Section 65088, that it is in the interest of the State of California to have an integrated state and regional transportation planning process. It further finds that federal law mandates the development of a state and regional long-range transportation plan as a prerequisite for receipt of federal transportation funds. It is the intent of the Legislature that the preparation of these plans shall be a cooperative process involving local and regional government, transit operators, congestion management agencies, and the goods movement industry and that the process be a continuation of activities performed by each entity and be performed without any additional cost.
(b)The Legislature further finds and declares that the last attempt to prepare a California Transportation Plan occurred between 1973 and 1977 and resulted in the expenditure of over eighty million dollars ($80,000,000) in public funds and did not produce a usable document. As a consequence of that, the Legislature delegated responsibility for long-range transportation planning to the regional planning agencies and adopted a seven-year programming cycle instead of a longer range planning process for the state.
(c)The Legislature further finds and declares that the Transportation Blueprint for the Twenty-First Century (Chapters 105 and 106 of the Statutes of 1989) is a long-range state transportation plan that includes a financial plan and a continuing planning process through the preparation of congestion management plans and regional transportation plans, and identifies major interregional road networks and passenger rail corridors for the state.

Added by Stats. 2019, Ch. 605, Sec. 2. (AB 285) Effective January 1, 2020.

For purposes of this chapter, “department” means the Department of Transportation.

Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 605, Sec. 3. (AB 285) Effective January 1, 2020.

The department shall update the California Transportation Plan every five years consistent with this chapter. The second update shall be completed by December 31, 2020.

Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 629, Sec. 2. (AB 2086) Effective January 1, 2025.

The California Transportation Plan shall include all of the following:

(a)A policy element that describes the state’s transportation policies and system performance objectives. These policies and objectives shall be consistent with legislative intent described in Sections 14000, 14000.5, 14000.6, and 65088.
(b)A strategies element that incorporates the broad system concepts and strategies synthesized from the adopted regional transportation plans prepared pursuant to Section 65080. The California Transportation Plan shall not be project specific.
(c)A financial element that

summarizes the full cost of implementing the California Transportation Plan through the first 10 years of the planning period and includes a summary of available revenues through the planning period and an analysis of what is feasible within the plan if constrained by a realistic projection of available revenues. The financial element shall also evaluate the feasibility of any policy assumptions or scenarios included in the plan. The financial element may include a discussion of tradeoffs within the plan considering financial constraints.

(d)A recommendations element that includes economic forecasts and recommendations to the Legislature and the Governor to achieve the plan’s broad system concepts, strategies, and performance objectives.

Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 605, Sec. 4. (AB 285) Effective January 1, 2020.

The California Transportation Plan shall consider all of the following subject areas for the movement of people and freight:

(a)Mobility and accessibility.
(b)Integration and connectivity.
(c)Efficient system management and operation.
(d)Existing system preservation.
(e)Safety and security.
(f)Economic development, including productivity and efficiency.
(g)Environmental protection, air quality, and quality of life.
(h)Environmental justice.

Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 605, Sec. 5. (AB 285) Effective January 1, 2020.

(a)The department shall address in the California Transportation Plan how the state will achieve maximum feasible emissions reductions in order to attain a statewide reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and 40 percent below 1990 levels by December 31, 2030, as required by the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (Division 25.5 (commencing with Section 38500) of the Health and Safety Code), and how the plan is consistent with, and supports attaining, all state ambient air quality standards, as set forth in Section 70200 of Title 17 of the

California Code of Regulations, and national ambient air quality standards, as established pursuant to Section 7409 of Title 42 of the United States Code, in all areas of the state, as described in California’s state implementation plans required by the federal Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 7401 et seq.), taking into consideration the use of alternative fuels, new vehicle technology, tailpipe emissions reductions, ride sharing, vehicle pooling, and expansion of public transit, commuter rail, intercity rail, bicycling, and walking. The plan shall identify the statewide integrated multimodal transportation system needed to achieve these results.

(b)Commencing with the third update to the California Transportation Plan, the department shall include the following information in the plan:
(1)A forecast of the impacts of advanced and emerging technologies over a 20-year horizon on infrastructure, access, and transportation systems. For purposes of this paragraph, “advanced and emerging technologies” includes, but is not limited to, shared, autonomous, connected, and electric transportation options.
(2)A review of the progress made implementing past California Transportation Plans including, but not limited to, a review of actions taken in each region of the state to achieve the goals and policies outlined in the plan.
(c)(1) The

Strategic Growth Council shall complete a report by January 31, 2022, and shall submit this report to the relevant policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature. The report shall contain all of the following:

(A) An overview of the California Transportation Plan and

all sustainable communities strategies and alternative planning strategies prepared pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 65080, and an assessment of how implementation of the California Transportation Plan, sustainable communities strategies, and alternative planning strategies will influence the configuration of the statewide integrated multimodal transportation system.

(B) A review of the potential impacts and opportunities for coordination of the following funding programs: the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program, the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, the Low Carbon Transit Operations Program, the Transformative Climate Communities Program, and the Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program. The review shall be conducted in consultation with the agencies that administer these programs.

The review shall include recommendations for the improvement of these programs or other relevant transportation funding programs to better align the programs to meet long-term common goals, including the goals outlined in the California Transportation Plan.

(2)The requirement for submitting a report imposed under paragraph (1) is inoperative on January 31, 2026, pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code.
(3)A report to be submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795

of the Government Code.

Added by Stats. 2021, Ch. 769, Sec. 4. (SB 671) Effective January 1, 2022.

Development of the California Transportation Plan shall incorporate the Clean Freight Corridor Efficiency Assessment’s findings and recommendations made pursuant to Section 14517.

Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 561, Sec. 92. (AB 1516) Effective January 1, 2018.

The department shall consult with, coordinate its activities with, and make a draft of its proposed plan, and each update, available for review and comment to the California Transportation Commission, the Strategic Growth Council, the State Air Resources Board, the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, the air quality management districts, public transit operators, and the regional transportation planning agencies. The department shall also provide an opportunity for input by the general public. Prior to adopting the plan or update, the department shall make a final draft available to the Legislature and Governor for review and comment. The commission may present the results of its review and comment to the Legislature and the Governor. The Governor shall adopt the plan and submit the plan to the Legislature and the Secretary

of the United States Department of Transportation.

Added by Stats. 2015, Ch. 711, Sec. 2. (SB 64) Effective January 1, 2016.

The California Transportation Commission shall review recommendations in the update to the California Transportation Plan prepared by the department in 2015, and every five years thereafter, and prepare specific, action-oriented, and pragmatic recommendations for transportation system improvements. A report containing the specific recommendations shall be submitted to the Legislature and the Governor by December 31, 2016, and every five years thereafter, and in compliance with Section 9795.

Amended by Stats. 2020, Ch. 113, Sec. 1. (SB 1291) Effective September 18, 2020.

(a)The department shall prepare, in cooperation with the metropolitan planning agencies, a Federal Statewide Transportation Improvement Program in accordance with Section 135(g) of Title 23 of the United States Code. The Federal Statewide Transportation Improvement Program shall be submitted by the department to the United States Secretary of

Transportation by not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year.

(b)Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the department shall not be required to submit a Federal Statewide Transportation Improvement Program to the United States Secretary of Transportation for 2020.

Added by Stats. 2024, Ch. 629, Sec. 3. (AB 2086) Effective January 1, 2025.

(a)(1) On or before January 1, 2027, the department shall enhance an existing public online dashboard, such as the Rebuilding California internet website, to display how annual project investments from funding programs are advancing the vision and goals of the California Transportation

Plan, using readily available, significant performance metrics for each funding program, as determined by the department, in consultation with other stakeholders, including, but not limited to, equity-focused partners. The department shall also report on the dashboard on the status of the implementation of the short-, mid-, and long-term implementation actions included in the implementation element of the California Transportation Plan.

(2)At the same time that the California Transportation Plan is

required to be updated pursuant to Section 65071, the department shall update the performance metrics displayed on the dashboard pursuant to paragraph (1) to reflect any significant changes to the funding programs consistent with the requirements for determining the performance metrics set forth in paragraph (1).

(3)The department shall present the data on the dashboard described in paragraph (1) in a searchable, consistent, transparent, and digestible manner, and shall periodically update the data required by this section on the dashboard.
(b)For purposes of this section, “funding programs” means all of the following programs:
(1)The Active Transportation Program (Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 2380) of Division 3 of the Streets and Highways Code).
(2)The interregional transportation improvement program.
(3)The Local Partnership Program created pursuant to Sections 2032 and 2033 of the Streets and Highways Code.
(4)The Solutions for Congested Corridors Program (Chapter 8.5 (commencing with Section 2390) of Division 3 of the Streets and Highways Code).
(5)The state highway operation and protection program.
(6)The Trade Corridor

Enhancement Program established pursuant to Chapter 4.8 (commencing with Section 2192) of Division 3 of the Streets and Highways Code.

(7)The Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (Part 2 (commencing with Section 75220) of Division 44 of the Public Resources Code).