The STATUS Newsletter is published every month after the STA Board meeting to inform the public and our stakeholders of what’s happening with transportation in Solano County.
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- Paratransit Coordinating Council (PCC) via Zoom on 3/17/22 at 1pm
- Pedestrian Advisory Committee (PAC) via Zoom on 4/7/22 at 6pm
- STA Board Meeting in Suisun and via Zoom on 4/13/22 at 6pm
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IN THIS EDITION:
- STA’s Federal Priorities for 2022
- STA Board Recognizes Suisun City Mayor Lori Wilson
- Capitol Corridor Rail Update
- STA Board Approves Green Line Fare Reduction & Transition Plan Update
- STA Approves Veterans Mobility Assessment Study and Expands GoGo Grandparent Program & Intercity Taxi Service to include Veterans
- Highway 12 Beautification Project in Fairfield and Suisun City selected for Caltrans Clean California Program
- Solano County Continues To Electrify
- STA Staff Update
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STA’s Federal Priorities for 2022
At the March 9 board meeting, the STA Board approved STA's list of 9 federal priorities, which was updated and expanded based on the input provided at the STA Board in February. This followed a February briefing with our federal advocate Susan Lent regarding numerous opportunities for federal funding 2022 with the recent passage of the Federal Transportation Infrastructure Bill (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act/IIJA). STA has identified these projects as delivery ready and good candidates for federal funding. STA staff is working with our local project sponsors, Caltrans, MTC, and CalSTA to prepare applications for these projects once they become available.
The approved list of STA Federal Priority projects is listed below.
- Canon Rd. Overcrossing
- I-505 / Vaca Valley
- SR-37 / Fairgrounds Dr.
- Parkway Blvd Overcrossing
- Solano Express Electrification
- SR-37 Interim Project Design
- I-80 Westbound Truck Scales
- EV Charger Infrastructure
- Electrification of ALL Transit Operators
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STA Board Recognizes Suisun City Mayor Lori Wilson
Suisun City Mayor Lori Wilson attended her last STA Board meeting on March 9. During the meeting, the STA Board presented a proclamation of appreciation to Mayor Wilson for her years of service as an STA Board member. Mayor Wilson is scheduled to be leaving the STA Board in April to become the new Assembly Member for the 11th Assembly District.
Mayor Wilson served as Chair of the STA’s Equity Working Group, as a member of the Solano County Transit (SolTrans) governing board, as Chair of the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Housing Committee, as Solano County’s city representative on the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), and as a supporter of the Safe Routes to School Program (SR2S) and mobility programs for Suisun City residents.
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Capitol Corridor Rail Update
The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) Managing Director Robert Padgette attended the March 9 STA Board Meeting and presented an update on their intercity rail service that connects to Solano County via the Suisun Fairfield Amtrak Station and the Fairfield-Vacaville Hannigan Station. In addition to joint marketing of the rail service, STA is working with CCJPA and the cities of Suisun City and Fairfield on designing future improvements to the Suisun Fairfield Amtrak Station, designated in the California State Rail Plan as the Solano Rail Hub. STA is also working with the City of Fairfield and the CCJPA to address safety concerns at the Vanden Road/Canon Road overcrossing, to provide access improvements adjacent to the south portal of the Hannigan Station that will connect to the Travis Air Force Base (AFB) north gate, and to provide an active transportation (bike/pedestrian) connection to the adjacent high school, middle school and elementary school.
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STA Board Approves Green Line Fare Reduction & Transition Plan Update
On March 9, the STA Board approved a recommendation from SolTrans for a fare reduction for the Green Line (Green Express) to go in effect on April 4, 2022, when SolTrans takes over operation of the Green Line service from Fairfield and Suisun Transit (FAST). This will lower the monthly pass for the Green Line from $130 to $114 and the out-of-county fare from $5.75 to $5.00, bringing all four Solano Express routes in line with MTC’s efforts to integrate regional fares. The STA Board also approved the extension of the Solano Express “Buy one, get one free” monthly pass incentive through the August transition period. To date, 41 riders have signed-up for the incentive through STA’s Solano Mobility Call Center.
The Blue Line service is scheduled to transition from FAST to SolTans in August 2022.
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STA Approves Veterans Mobility Assessment Study and Expands GoGo Grandparent Program & Intercity Taxi Service to include Veterans
At their March 9th meeting, the STA Board approved the Solano Veterans’ Mobility Assessment. Approximately 35,000 veterans live in Solano County and over 25% of Solano’s 65 and over population are veterans. The STA Board also approved the following:
- The expansion of the GoGo Grandparent/Medical Concierge Program to include Veterans of any age to receive trips to medical appointments, both within Solano County and 3 designated locations in Contra Costa:
A. Martinez VA Medical Center at 150 Muir Rd., Martinez
B. Med Evals (QTR Assessment Center), 2280 Diamond Blvd., Ste. 520, Concord
C. The Hume Center located at 1333, Ste. 102 Willow Pass Rd., Concord
2. The expansion of the Intercity Taxi Card Program to provide wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) rides to Veterans within Solano County and to the 3 designated locations in Contra Costa AND to allow Solano County Veterans of any age to use the program for trips to/from Travis AFB
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Highway 12 Beautification Project in Fairfield and Suisun City selected for Caltrans Clean California Program
The STA Board approved funding from the Caltrans portion of the new Clean California Grants Program, a statewide program. A segment of SR 12 was selected in partnership with the cities of Fairfield and Suisun City and recommended for $4.7 million in Caltrans' Clean California Program funds. In addition, Caltrans is recommending to provide an additional $1 million in improvements for the portion of the Bay Trail/Vine Trail locate in the state right of way for SR 29 located in Vallejo.
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Solano County Continues To Electrify
STA continues to implement the STA Board’s objective to pursue the electrification of Solano County by implementing Electric Vehicle (EV) chargers, assisting the five Solano County based transit operators (City Coach, Delta Breeze, FAST, Readi-Ride and SolTrans) in their efforts to electrify their fleets, and to plan for the electrification of freight. At the March 9th board meeting, the STA Board approved submitting a state Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) grant application to fully fund the electric infrastructure for all five Solano County based transit operators and programming $100,000 in State Transit Assistance Funds (STAF) to be programmed as a local match for the application.
The Board awarded $30,000 in YSAQMD TFCA grant funds for the installation of 5 new dual-port level 2 Clipper Creek EV chargers at the Hickory-Davis Park and Ride Lot located in Downtown Vacaville. The STA Board supported the City of Rio Vista’s future $15,000 application for two new level 2 EV chargers at the Rio Vista City Hall Park and Ride Lot to the YSAQMD.
Also, the Board approved the allocation of FY 2022-23 TFCA County Program Manager Funds for Electric Vehicle Chargers, continuing with its commitment from the January 2020 to allocate $100,000 a year for four years to support the Solano EV Implementation Plan, which focuses on funding charging stations throughout Solano County. This marks the third year of this four-year commitment.
Concurrently, STA has issued a call for projects for an estimated total of $100,000, available for electric vehicle infrastructure projects, and $103,812 for other clean air eligible projects such as bicycle and pedestrian projects, smart growth/traffic calming, and other alternative fuel projects. Applications are due by April 30th. For more information on the call for projects, click here.
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STA Staff Update
On March 1, April Wells joined STA as a Customer Service Representative (CSR) for the Solano Mobility Call Center. She previously worked for the STA back in 2014. April currently resides in Fairfield.
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