The Regional Transportation Plan for Monterey County satisfies state and federal requirements to identify transportation projects that can be funded over the next 20-years to serve the county’s transportation needs. The 2022 Regional Transportation Plan is available for viewing by downloading the document at this link:

Regional transportation planning in California is a dynamic process. It involves the interaction of federal, state, regional, and local agencies and the consideration of multiple plans and programs. As the county’s state-designated Regional Transportation Planning Agency, the Transportation Agency for Monterey County is tasked with developing a Regional Transportation Plan, or RTP, for the county to provide a basis for the allocation of state and federal transportation funds to transportation projects within the county over a long-range time frame. This 20-year plan addresses all forms of transportation, and includes the priorities and actions embodied in the plans prepared by each of the county’s 12 cities and the County of Monterey.

The Regional Transportation Plan includes the following three main components:

• Policy Element: Identifies goals and policies for how the county will meet its needs.
• Financial Element: Identifies the revenues that they Agency reasonably expects to to be available for projects over the life of the plan.
• Action Element: Includes a list of prioritized transportation projects to serve the county’s long-term needs within the projected “budget” of transportation revenues consistent with goals and objectives established for the plan.

The Transportation Agency coordinates the regional planning process with the Association of Monterey Bay Governments (AMBAG). The Monterey County regional plan is included in the three county Metropolitan Transportation Plan for the Monterey Bay area. These documents are prepared to meet regional and state sustainability goals pursuant to Senate Bill 375, which requires that transportation plans be consistent with a Sustainable Communities Strategy for achieving greenhouse gas emissions targets set for the region. A new Sustainable Communities Strategy will be included in the 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan, which is scheduled to be adopted in June 2026.

AMBAG, as the lead agency in partnership with the Council of San Benito County Governments (SBtCOG), the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (SCCRTC) and the Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) has released the Notice of Preparation of an Environmental Impact Report for the 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (MTP/SCS) and county level Regional Transportation Plans (RTPs) for a public comment period ending on March 1, 2024. Please submit comments no later than March 1, 2024 to Heather Adamson at AMBAG, 24580 Silver Cloud Court, Monterey, CA 93940 or to hadamson@ambag.org. You can access more information about AMBAG at their website: | Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (ambag.org).

The timeline for Monterey County’s Regional Transportation Plan’s development includes:

• 2023: Development of goals, policy objectives and performance measures
• 2024: Updates to city and county project lists for the Regional Plan, and development of financial projections
• 2025: Development of draft Environmental Impact Report
• 2026: Adoption of Final Regional Transportation Plan and associated CEQA Findings

Board Meeting Presentations

2026 Regional Transportation Plan and 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan-Sustainable Communities Strategy

The 2026 Monterey County Regional Transportation Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Report prepared for the plan by AMBAG will be available for viewing here when the document is prepared.

Alissa Guther is the Agency’s Regional Transportation Plan contact person. If you have any questions, you can reach her at (831) 775-4402, or via email at: alissa@tamcmonterey.org