CTC Approves Landmark $3 Billion Goods Movement Program

Projects Selected are Consistent with Administration's Plan to
Move Goods, Protect Environment
SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
Business, Transportation and Housing (BTH) Agency Secretary Dale
E. Bonner and California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA)
Secretary Linda Adams today announced that an unprecedented $3 billion
transportation program to expedite goods movement, ease traffic
congestion and improve air quality has been approved by the California
Transportation Commission (CTC).

Funding for 79 goods movement projects statewide will be provided
by the Trade Corridors Improvement Fund (TCIF), a key element of
Proposition 1B, the $19.9 billion voter-approved transportation bond.
TCIF will pay for vital infrastructure improvements along
transportation corridors that have a high volume of freight movement.

"It is important that we continue investing in the state's
infrastructure in a way that improves the overall quality of life for
all Californians," said Secretary Bonner. "The CTC has approved a
balanced package of projects, which is highly consistent with Governor
Schwarzenegger's vision as set forth in the Administration's Goods
Movement Action Plan (GMAP)."

The GMAP, published in January 2007 by the CalEPA and BTH was the
culmination of a 2-year effort that included input from hundreds of
stakeholders with many different perspectives, yielding analyses and
recommendations for improving the movement of goods while reducing
environmental impacts in California. The Plan calls for a safe goods
movement system that supports jobs and economic prosperity while
improving the environment and quality of life for communities within
California's goods movement corridors. The projects included in the
TCIF program adopted today were among the approximately 200 high
priority projects originally identified in the GMAP.

"These vital goods movement projects will prove once again that
California can advance its economic and environmental goals together,"
said Secretary Adams. "In addition, each project will go through its
own environmental permitting process to ensure the public health and
air quality in local communities are protected."

BTH and CalEPA have partnered to bring various stakeholders
together to discuss and address the important issues regarding the
goals of TCIF. In 2007, Secretary Bonner worked collaboratively with
key regional leaders representing the trade corridors and led a series
of public meetings around the state to gather public input on the TCIF
program. He encouraged the CTC to act expeditiously to adopt a
program, so that the system-wide economic, environmental and
transportation benefits could be realized as quickly as possible.

"Our work is not complete. The GMAP identified nearly $50 billion
in need and we will continue to look to other resources, including
help from the federal government and opportunities for public-private
partnerships through performance-based infrastructure," Bonner added.

The goods movement industry is a vital component of the state's
economy.

"California's economy moves through its transportation system of
highways, rail, airports and seaports," said Bonner. "This investment
will help secure California's future as a gateway to the nation's
commerce, stimulate our economic vitality, reduce traffic congestion,
and improve the quality of life for those living within or near the
trade corridors."

In addition to approving the TCIF program, the California
Transportation Commission allocated $586 million for 91 other
transportation projects, including $370 million from various accounts
in Proposition 1B. More than $2 billion in Proposition 1B funding has
been allocated during the current fiscal year.

For information about specific TCIF projects and other projects
that received funding allocations, visit:
http://www.dot.ca.gov/tcifprojectsandctcaprilvotelist.htm.

BT&H
Mike Bowman, 916-323-5416
or
Cal/EPA
BreAnda Northcutt, 916-324-9670

Copyright Business Wire 2008