RELEASE DATE:            Tuesday, October 10, 2023

MONTEREY COUNTY – The Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) announced that the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) recently awarded $1 million in Transportation Planning Grants to fund two of the agency’s projects that will have significant impacts for addressing regional climate resiliency and safety in North Monterey County.  

The first award is a $378,023 Climate Adaptation Planning Grant to fund TAMC’s “Monterey County Regional Transportation Vulnerability Assessment” plan.  The plan will focus on identifying transportation infrastructure in the coastal areas of the county that are at risk of sea level rise, coastal flooding, and erosion, create a project prioritization list, and with information on the adaptation strategies for the projects on the list.

This vulnerability assessment will draw on existing studies done in the county, as well as the Caltrans District 5 Climate Change Adaptation Priorities Report, to understand how impacts from climate change will affect transportation through the county and region including but not limited to local roads and streets, railroad lines and crossings, active transportation infrastructure, and transit infrastructure. This study will include the northern region of Monterey County including Moss Landing, Elkhorn, Pajaro, Castroville, and the unincorporated region of the northern Monterey County coastal areas.

The second award is a $665,091 Sustainable Communities Competitive Grant for the North Monterey County Safe Routes to Schools Plan.  In keeping with TAMC’s development of a Safe Routes to School Plans for Monterey County’s students and families, this plan will gather data, conduct walking audits and surveys & utilize community input to identify a set of safe routes to public schools in the unincorporated communities of Castroville, Pajaro, Los Lomas, Prunedale, Royal Oaks, Oak Hills, Aromas, Moss Landing and Elkhorn.

The Plan will create a Safe Routes to School Steering Committee to pilot a participatory budgeting process and empower community members to prioritize quick-build projects for implementation following the plan’s adoption. The Plan will build upon the Regional Transportation Plan and Active Transportation Plan to support mobility, social equity, safety, and greenhouse gas reductions supportive of the region’s Sustainable Communities Strategy.

For more information about the Monterey County Regional Transportation Vulnerability Assessment plan or the Safe Routes to School Program, visit: https://www.tamcmonterey.org/

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“The Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) is responsible for investing in regional transportation projects for Monterey County residents, businesses, and visitors. The mission of TAMC is to develop and maintain a multimodal transportation system that enhances mobility, safety, access, environment quality and economic activities in Monterey County. For more information visit www.tamcmonterey.org or call 831.775.0903.”