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Receive and approve the Solano County Public Works Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan for FY2026/27 through FY2031/32 from the Department of Resource Management; and Adopt a resolution to approve the proposed project list for FY2027/28 in accordance with the State of California Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 requirements
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Published Notice Required? Yes ____ No _X _
Public Hearing Required? Yes ____ No _X _
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The Department of Resource Management recommends that the Board of Supervisors:
1. Receive and approve the Solano County Public Works Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan for FY2026/27 through FY2031/32 from the Department of Resource Management; and
2. Adopt a resolution to approve the proposed project list for FY2027/28 in accordance with the State of California Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 requirements.
SUMMARY:
The Solano County Public Works Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) is reviewed and updated annually by the Department of Resource Management (Attachment A). The proposed CIP covers the remaining portion of FY2026/27 through FY2031/32 and reflects the Department’s plans for long-term maintenance and improvements to the County’s road, bridge, and drainage infrastructure, corporation yards, and equipment necessary for road maintenance. Delivery timelines for prioritized projects consider constraints related to funding, environmental conditions, right-of-way acquisition, utility coordination, construction bidding conditions, and available staff resources.
Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), known as the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, established additional statewide transportation-related revenues to support the maintenance and improvement of road infrastructure and enhance traffic safety. A significant portion of these revenues is distributed through a formula similar to the existing Highway Users Tax Account (HUTA or “Gas Tax”). SB 1 established requirements governing the expenditure of these revenues, including project submission to the California Transportation Commission (CTC), restrictions on eligible expenditures, and annual reporting on the use of funds. The Act also requires the Board of Supervisors to annually review and approve the County’s proposed SB 1 projects for the upcoming fiscal year.
With the Board’s adoption of the resolution (Attachment B), Department staff will submit the proposed FY2027/28 SB 1 project list (Attachment C) to the CTC in anticipation of utilizing SB 1 revenues for these projects. The CIP matrix identifies funding sources for all proposed projects, including those utilizing SB 1 funds.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Solano County estimates SB 1 revenue allocation for FY2026/27 to total $10,664,000, which is in addition to the estimated $11,253,000 in Highway Users Tax Account (HUTA) gas tax revenue. The Department has fully utilized the SB 1 funds each year since its inception in 2017. Other sources of funding dedicated and available for road and bridge capital improvements include federal Highway Bridge Program (HBP) funds, federal Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funds, federal Surface Transportation Program (STP) funds, Public Works Improvement Trust (PWITF) funds, Regional Transportation Impact Fees, Road Funds from an allocation of property taxes, and other regional and State competitive grant funds.
SB 1 gas tax revenue is a fund source which requires that funds must be spent on County road related projects. The proposed CIP anticipates using a variety of fund sources previously noted and does not anticipate a General Fund contribution.
The costs associated with preparing the agenda item are nominal and absorbed by the Department’s FY2026/27 Working Budget.
DISCUSSION:
SB 1 establishes specific requirements for any public agency that receives SB 1 funds to properly expend the revenues for road infrastructure and to make project expenditures clear to the public, including annual reporting and life cycle analysis to gauge the success of the new measure. The California Transportation Commission adopted guidelines to assist agencies with implementation of SB 1. Based on the law and CTC’s guidelines, it is understood that:
1. Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) funding must be prioritized for basic road maintenance and safety improvements unless a jurisdiction maintains a Pavement Condition Index (PCI) of 80 or higher, which allows greater flexibility in the use of funds. Solano County's PCI recently declined below 80, in part reflecting the County's increased investment in sidewalk, bridge, and traffic calming improvements made possible through an influx of federal and State funding. With the County's current PCI at 78, Public Works will refocus efforts on basic road maintenance and safety projects. Over the past year, the County continued to deliver sufficient eligible road maintenance and safety projects to fully utilize its SB 1 funding.
2. Per SB 1, Solano County also needs to consider plans to incorporate technologies and material recycling techniques into projects, where feasible, that lower greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the cost of maintaining local streets and roads. Regular maintenance habits on higher PCI pavements, like the County’s maintenance program, are recognized for reduced GHG emissions versus more intensive rehabilitation strategies. In addition, the CIP incorporates the use of recycled aggregate and tire rubber in some of the road maintenance projects.
3. The County must submit an annual report at the end of each fiscal year to the CTC that includes a description and location of each completed project, the amount of funds expended, the completion date and the estimated useful life of the improvement.
The anticipated revenues from SB 1 will allow the CIP to fund and complete projects over the next five years that maintain or improve the County’s road network, including roads, bridges, culverts, sidewalks, signage, striping and signalized intersections. Exhibit A of the resolution (Attachment B) is a list of new projects utilizing SB1 Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account (RMRA) funding for FY2027/28. Numerous other RMRA funded projects within the CIP have already been submitted to the State in previous years’ CIP cycles and are in process.
The Department remains focused on improving the County’s PCI rating, rehabilitating aged infrastructure (bridges, culverts, sidewalks, signals, etc.), improving aged corporation yard facilities, updating the Public Works fleet, and enhancing safety at intersections and along corridors utilizing accident data determinations. Constraints in Department staffing, consultant and contractor availability, and potential project cost escalation due to inflation are all factors that will impact the Department’s ability to deliver projects.
Planning and Outreach
The proposed FY2026/27 - FY2031/32 CIP anticipates full SB 1 and HUTA funding for the next 5 years. The Department received input from the Public Works Operations Division, cities’ staff, public complaints, California Highway Patrol, several Solano Transportation Authority (STA) committees, Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committees and the Pleasants Valley Fire Safe Council. The Board of Supervisors held several priority setting sessions over the last couple years which established Department priorities for the Solano Fairgrounds development and Travis Air Force Base access projects (both included in the CIP and detailed below).
The Department spends significant time reviewing infrastructure improvement options while prioritizing traffic safety needs. Stable revenue forecasts and grant awards have allowed the Department to include pedestrian, safety improvement, and joint/collaborative contracting projects.
The benefit of fully realized SB 1 revenues is that the Department now has stable funding for long-term planning of multi-year and regionally coordinated projects. These larger projects often involve complex design work, right-of-way acquisition, and utility relocation work which add significant time and cost in delivery. Department vacancies along with extensive development review and permitting efforts impacted project delivery and delayed some Capital project schedules to FY2027/28. The Department is working to expand project management capabilities to handle the variety of difficulties involved in delivery of these projects.
Some projects that are planned for construction over the next few years include:
1. Benicia Road Complete Streets Improvements Phase 2 and Sidewalk Gap Connector Projects, with new sidewalks, bike lanes, pedestrian crossings and transit stops throughout the unincorporated areas of Vallejo.
2. Countywide safety and mobility improvements that enhance corridor/intersection safety, add streetlights and upgrade pedestrian connections.
3. Improvements at the Public Works corporation yards that are needed due to the aged condition of the buildings and yards.
4. Countywide pavement maintenance and shoulder improvements along major corridors which include Gibson Canyon Road, Putah Creek Road, Pleasants Valley Road and Suisun Valley Road.
5. Solano Fairgrounds Mobility Hub will add transit, pedestrian and parking improvements to the Fairgrounds property in Vallejo.
Some long-term projects that the Department is seeking collaborative funding opportunities for delivery include:
1. Benicia Road Complete Streets Improvements Phase 3, with new sidewalks, bike lanes, pedestrian crossings and transit stops from Homeacres Avenue to Rollingwood Drive.
2. McCormack Road Reconstruction Phase 3, which will complete the conversion of this regionally significant gravel road into a fully paved roadway, between Rio Vista and Highway 113, in partnership with Caltrans and the City of Rio Vista.
Project Coordination
Department staff look for opportunities with other agencies to co-sponsor grants and coordinate projects for regional connections, particularly along the periphery of cities. These types of projects offer various efficiencies in delivery while sharing costs and funding. Larger projects also provide an opportunity to attract more construction bidders along with lower unit rate construction costs. The Department is planning joint projects with the City of Rio Vista, City of Vallejo, Caltrans and STA as part of the CIP. Cooperative grant funding for these projects will allow the Department to expand into more of these complex future projects.
Funding
The CIP anticipates approximately $170 million in improvements over the next five years, with approximately $86 million in improvements remaining unfunded. While some of these projects may not receive funding, many of the unfunded projects remain candidates for regional, State and federal grants which may help bridge these funding gaps. Federal grant opportunities have expanded over the last few years which are generating significant project funding awards for the County. Recent awards include $3.4 million in Highway Safety Improvement Program funds, $1.9 million in One Bay Area Grant 4 funds for Benicia Road Improvement Project Phase 3 and $1.9 million in Priority Conservation Area federal funds for Farm-To-Market Phase 4 for Suisun Valley Road. The Department will continue to seek all appropriate grants to enhance project budgets and maximize the County’s delivery of CIP projects.
The CIP provides a balanced approach that maintains and improves the County’s road infrastructure over the next five years. The Department will continue its objective to deliver as much project work and road maintenance within available existing engineering and operations staffing. With the Board’s approval of the CIP, the Department will work to construct projects in the first year, and plan projects listed in the years following.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board could choose to revise the CIP within the limitations of available revenues from local, State, and federal sources. This is not recommended as the CIP provided by the Department recommends the list of priorities for maintenance and construction of County road infrastructure based on many considerations including pavement indices, bridge evaluation reports, culvert inspections, traffic data, safety and accident data, agency outreach, and available staff resources.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The Department has solicited input and coordinated projects with the local cities, Caltrans, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and the Solano Transportation Authority.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION