TAMC Board Highlights-January 27, 2021
TRANSPORTATION AGENCY FOR MONTEREY COUNTY
HIGHLIGHTS
January 27, 2021
TAMC Board Elects New Officers & Executive Committee Members
The Board of Directors of the Transportation Agency for Monterey County elected the following members to serve as their officers and members of the Executive Committee:
· Chair, Councilmember Ed Smith, City of Monterey
· 1st Vice Chair, Supervisor Mary Adams, District 5
· 2nd Vice Chair, Mayor Mike LeBarre, City of King
· Past Chair, Supervisor Luis Alejo, District 1
· County Representative, Supervisor Chris Lopez, District 3
· City Presentative, Mayor Kimbley Craig, City of Salinas
Their terms begin upon their election through the next election of officers at the beginning of the January 26, 2022 Board meeting.
19th Annual Transportation Excellence Awards
The Transportation Agency presented their 19th Annual Transportation Excellence Awards to honor community members, programs and projects that make a significant contribution to improve transportation in Monterey County. This year’s awards recognize a city’s effort to reduce congestion along their mayor arteries, a unique public-private partnership that worked together in South County to make road improvements and a special award to a transportation agency that went “far and above” to assist the community through the pandemic.
The award honorees are:
The City of Monterey, and their partners, Bear Electrical and Western Systems was recognized for their city’s “Citywide Adaptive Traffic Signal System.” This project, currently running on 21 intersections, uses vehicle detection and artificial intelligence software to respond accurately and immediately to real-time traffic conditions. The results are a more efficient use of the existing roadway system, including less traffic congestion, reduced travel time, and safer roads for City residents and more than 4 million visitors per year. Managing the project in-house allowed the City to upgrade equipment, install new fiber optic lines, and set up the system software and equipment more efficiently than using outside contractors, resulting in an estimated cost savings of over $70,000.
Gloria Road/Iverson/Johnson Canyon Road Pavement Reconstruction Project Team,
comprised of members, County of Monterey RMA-Public Works, City of Gonzales, Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority, Granite Construction and Harris & Associates, are recognized for their unique collaboration on the $7 million Gloria/Iverson/Johnson Canyon Road Pavement Reconstruction Project.
Working together, this multi-agency team raised project funding, oversaw the design and bidding, and reconstruction of 5 miles of pavement along the critical access route to the regional landfill. Due to the close coordination among the partners, this project was completed ahead of schedule and under budget, despite the challenges of COVID-19, summer heat waves, heavy smoke from the Dolan Fire, and the difficulty of acquiring construction materials.
Monterey Salinas Transit was presented a “Special Award of Recognition” for their leadership and community service to meet the unprecedented challenges of 2020. With reduced ridership and fewer routes in operation, due to COVID-19, MST redirected and utilized their available workforce and resources to support community needs. While safely providing essential local transit service, they met other needs by providing mobile Wi-Fi hot spots for students; and their volunteer “COVID-19 Community Support Task Force” delivered food via Meals on Wheels to seniors, and MST employees had an internal fund-raising drive to help support Hospitality Workers. The agency also donated two minibuses to a medical clinic to expand their ability to provide resources and medical services to essential agriculture workers.
While under the threat of evacuation from the Dolan Fire at their own headquarters, MST rescued and transported at risk residents to safe shelter. On Election Day, passengers in need of transportation could ride free to exercise their right to vote; and MST made significant transportation advancements by being the only transit agency selected to demonstrate the contactless fare payment system as part of Caltrans' California Integrated Travel Project; and celebrated the groundbreaking of their Measure X and SB 1 funded South County Operations & Maintenance Center.
Measure X Citizens Oversight Committee Member Appointments
The TAMC Board of Director appointed two new members to serve on the Measure X Citizens Oversight Committee. Those appointed to serve are Jonathan Geisler and Monica Lal, serving as the representative and alternate representative for the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce.
Members of the Citizens Oversight Committee represent a diverse range of community interests to assure that a broad range of geographic and stakeholder interests on represented on the committee. Their duty is to ensure that Measure X funds are spent according to the terms of the Measure X Transportation Safety & Investment Plan. The Plan, approved by voters in November 2016, is anticipated to generate an estimated $600 million over 30 years for transportation projects & programs in Monterey County.
Caltrans Makes Emergency Preparation for Winter Storm
Caltrans announced that their Traffic Management Center is working 24/7 to monitor the current storm and is making emergency preparations for potential road closures or evacuations. Community members are encouraged to visit their website, Quick Maps and social media pages for the most up-to-date information at the links below:
https://dot.ca.gov/caltrans-near-me/district-5
http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/?ll=35.7084430727887,-120.771382316428&z=11
#BeWorkZoneAlert | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube |