In this edition
- STA Board previews State Route 37/Fairgrounds Diverging Diamond Interchange design
- STA Board allocates additional $4.4 Million in Federal ARP Funds to SolanoExpress and local transit service
- Suisun City Community-Based Transportation Plan (CBTP) to kick off with Webinar
- STA approves expanding Lyft First/Last Mile Program and Local Taxi Programs for Suisun City
- STA Board allocates $431,000 for Bike Pedestrian Projects
- STA awarded $400,000 for Bay Trail/Vine Trail Gap Closure Project
- Public Input Process for Connected Mobility Plan to Begin
- STA enters funding agreement with Suisun City for new Suisun City Mobility Hub
- Fairfield and Suisun City present Priority Development Areas to STA Board
- International Walk to School Day 2021, Solano Safe Routes to School (SR2S) Program awarded $305,000 in grants
- Annual Reports for Solano Mobility Vehicle Share Program & Employer Program
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STATUS Newsletter
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.
Please sign up here to receive this newsletter directly in your inbox.
- None (STA Board Meeting will resume in December)
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STA Board previews State Route 37/Fairgrounds Diverging Diamond Interchange design
STA partnered with the City of Vallejo, County of Solano and Caltrans to preview the design for the SR 37/Fairgrounds Interchange to the STA Board at the October 13 Board meeting. This project will provide improved and safer access for autos, express buses, bikes and pedestrians accessing Six Flags, the Solano 360 Development, and the adjacent neighborhoods. A detailed preliminary engineering and final design (PS&E:Plans, Specifications, and Estimate) is wrapping up on a proposed Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) strategy. The DDI will improve the SR37/Fairgrounds interchange by allowing vehicles to turn left without stopping or conflicting with through traffic, drastically reducing intersection delays, better accommodating future traffic demand, increasing safety for pedestrian and bicyclists by providing a separated and protected facility, and more. Click here to watch a video about the Diverging Diamond Interchange. For future improvements on the SR 37 corridor, click here to watch The Future of Highway 37: Problems & Solutions.
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STA Board allocates additional $4.4 Million in Federal ARP Funds to SolanoExpress and local transit service
At the October 13th Board meeting, the STA Board approved STA’s recommended allocation for the remaining $4.4 million of Federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds that balances partial restoration for SolanoExpress service and local service restoration for SolTrans and FAST. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) recommended a total of $10.9 million of Federal ARP funding (5307) be allocated to Solano County for SolanoExpress and local transit services and be coordinated by STA. The initial allocation of $6.5 million was approved by the STA Board in September.
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Suisun City Community-Based Transportation Plan (CBTP) to kick off with Webinar
The Solano Transportation Authority (STA) is partnering with the City of Suisun City to implement a Community-Based Transportation Plan (CBTP). On Thursday, October 28, the STA and City of Suisun City will be co-hosting a public CBTP webinar to study and listen to transportation challenges facing Suisun City residents. The CBTP will help the City and STA better understand current transit conditions, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and opportunities to make mobility services more accessible and efficient for older adults, youth, low-income, individuals with disabilities, and all residents across the community. Please contact Solano Mobility or call the Solano Mobility Call Center at (800) 535-6883 for more information or register here.
Suisun City residents are also invited to complete a short survey here. By providing their feedback, community members will help Suisun City design its transportation system improvements that work for them.
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STA approves expanding Lyft First/Last Mile Program and Local Taxi Programs for Suisun City
At the October 13 Board meeting, the STA Board gave the STA authorization to modify Suisun City’s Lyft First/Last Mile and Local Taxi Programs to accommodate an upcoming local transportation service gap, with local FAST bus routes 5 & 6 and the City of Fairfield’s management of the Local Taxi Program scheduled to end service to Suisun City residents on December 31 of this year. To alleviate the transit gap beginning January 1, 2022, the STA Board approved a transitional Lyft First/Last Mile service program in Suisun City starting November 1, 2021, until the completion of Suisun City’s CBTP and the implementation of citywide microtransit service.
The STA has also been authorized to manage Suisun’s Local Taxi Program and to coordinate with Suisun City for the Intercity Taxi Card Program to continue to provide local taxi service within the City, effective January 1, 2022.
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STA Board allocates $431,000 for Bike Pedestrian Projects
At the October 13 meeting, the STA Board of Directors approved programming $431,683 in FY 2021-22 TDA Article 3 funding for four projects that will improve bicycle and pedestrian facilities in the cities of Benicia, Vallejo, and the County of Solano:
- $200,000 to the City of Benicia for the Military West Bike and Pedestrian Project;
- $73,093 to the City of Vallejo for the Sacramento Street Road Diet Project;
- $133,590 to the County of Solano’s Benicia Road Complete Streets Project; and
- $25,000 to STA’s 3-year bicycle wayfinding sign program.
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STA awarded $400,000 for Bay Trail/Vine Trail Gap Closure Project
At its October 4, 2021 meeting, the Bay Trail Steering Committee approved the Solano Transportation Authority’s grant application for the Bay Trail/Vine Trail Gap Closure Project for $400,000.
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Public Input Process for Connected Mobility Plan to Begin
The STA Board approved a Connected Mobility Plan to be conducted by STA in FY 2021-22, in coordination with the five Solano County based transit operators, to address the 27 recommendations developed by MTC’s Blue Ribbon Transit Recovery Task Force (BRTRTF) to improve, integrate, and coordinate transit in the Bay Area. This plan will assess the SolanoExpress service and options for continuing to restore service and ridership, as well as providing better connections to regional transit services such as BART, Capital Corridor, and the San Francisco Bay Ferry. It will also consider options to improve local connections to SolanoExpress and regional services such as First/Last Mile, micro-transit and improved active transportation options. For more information, vist the Connected Mobility page here, and take the Connected Mobility survey by clicking here.
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STA enters funding agreement with Suisun City for new Suisun City Mobility Hub
In the October Board meeting, the STA Board authorized the STA to enter into a four-year, $3 million funding agreement with the City of Suisun City to fund the Suisun City Mobility Hub to be located adjacent to the new STA office building and close to the Solano Rail Hub (Suisun City Amtrak Station). This project will serve several mobility purposes, including housing Suisun City’s future micro-transit vehicles, STA’s Vehicle Share Program vans, STAs’ electric vehicles, and Safe Routes to School Program van and trailer, as well as providing parking for STA and Suisun City’s community events.
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Fairfield and Suisun City present Priority Development Areas to STA Board
In preparation for STA’s allocation of federal One Bay Area Grant (OBAG 3) funds in 2022, the STA has invited the seven cities to provide short presentations on the status of their Priority Development Areas (PDAs) planning and implementation. A key focus for OBAG 3 is the investment in PDAs identified by cities and designated by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG).
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International Walk to School Day 2021, Solano Safe Rates to School (SR2S) awarded $305,000 in grants
International Walk to School Day made its return this year on Wednesday, October 6th, in Solano County with 21 schools participating. Each city and district had schools that participated. Several schools extended the single day event to the whole week by encouraging their students to walk as many days as possible between October 4th and 8th. See which schools participated.
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STA’s Solano Safe Routes to School (SR2S) Program successfully received a grant funding of $305,000 from the CA Office of Traffic Safety and the CA Department of Public Health. The award of $155,000 from the CA Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Program will help support the SR2S Program during FY 2021-22 in partnership with both the Benicia Police Department and the Suisun City Police Department through the Solano SR2S Public Safety Education and Enforcement Program.
The grant award for $150,000 from the CA Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) Kids’ Plates Program grant will provide funding for two years starting in October 2021 through June 2023. These funds will be used to help support the SR2S Micro Grant program.
For more information on the microgrant program and SR2S, please visit the SR2S website.
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Annual Reports for Solano Mobility Vehicle Share Program & Employer Program
STA has completed its Vehicle Share Program Annual Report for FY 2020-21. With funds provided by Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation through the County of Solano, STA purchased two-wheel chair accessible vehicles and started a Vehicle Share Program in 2019 that would allow the vehicles to be shared among multiple non-profits, public or any other 501(c)(3) organization that provides services for older adults and people with disabilities in Solano County. Since the unveiling of the two vehicles in 2019, 13 drivers representing 8 Community Based Organizations (CBOs) have successfully completed their training and are utilizing the vans to transport their clients.
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STA has completed the Solano Mobility Employer Program Annual Report for FY 2020-21. STA has been leveraging partnerships with Solano Economic Development Corporation, the SF Bay Ferry, and local transit operators to expand the participation of Solano County residents and employees in the various mobility options and incentives available through STA’s Solano Mobility programs. Due to a significant shift in outreach, social media reach has significantly increased, with 78 County employers participating in the program. Both annual reports can be accessed here.
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