BILL ANALYSIS Ó SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND HOUSING Senator Jim Beall, Chair 2015 - 2016 Regular Bill No: AB 2289 Hearing Date: June 14, 2016 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Author: |Frazier | |----------+------------------------------------------------------| |Version: |2/18/2016 | ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes | ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Consultant|Manny Leon | |: | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- SUBJECT: Department of Transportation: Capital Improvement Projects DIGEST: This bill clarifies that capital improvement projects relative to operations on the state highway system are eligible for inclusion in the State Highway Operation and Protection Program (SHOPP). ANALYSIS: Existing law: 1)Directs the Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to prepare the SHOPP to guide the expenditure of transportation funds for capital improvements that are necessary to protect the state highway system, as specified. The SHOPP is primarily limited to capital improvement projects related to maintenance, safety, and rehabilitation of state highways and bridges that do not add a new traffic lane to the system. 2)Requires Caltrans, in consultation with the California Transportation Commission (CTC), to develop an asset management plan to guide the preparation and selection of projects within SHOPP. Specifies that the asset management plan is to be consistent with any applicable state and federal requirements. COMMENTS: AB 2289 (Frazier) Page 2 of ? 1)Purpose. According to the author, "AB 2289 puts the 'O' in SHOPP. Operational improvements have always been included in the SHOPP. However, as we increasingly look to traffic operation improvements to provide greater efficiencies in the operation of the state highway system, AB 2289 makes it abundantly clear that these operational improvements are to be included in the SHOPP." 2)Existing practice. For nearly 20 years, Caltrans has been statutorily required to prepare the SHOPP to guide investments in state highways and bridges owned by the state. Projects to improve traffic operations, such as ramp meters and changeable message signs, have always been included in the SHOPP. The SHOPP specifically excludes projects that increase the capacity of the state highway system. However, operational improvements that increase capacity by virtue of improving operational efficiencies in the existing system are, and always have been, included in the SHOPP. 3)Technical cleanup. AB 2289 is a technical cleanup bill. Despite past practices, statutes governing preparation of the SHOPP do not explicitly include operational improvements in the types of projects to be included in the SHOPP. AB 2289 remedies this inconsistency by specifying that operational improvements are to be included in the SHOPP. Assembly votes: Floor: 76-0 Approps: 16-0 Trans: 16-0 FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No POSITIONS: (Communicated to the committee before noon on Wednesday, June 8, 2016.) SUPPORT: AB 2289 (Frazier) Page 3 of ? Automobile Club of Southern California California Transportation Commission San Diego Association of Governments San Francisco County Transportation Commission OPPOSITION: None recieved -- END --