IN THIS EDITION:

• Highway Projects Update – State Route (SR) 37
• STA Celebrates Completed Projects with Project Sponsors
• STA Updates Ridership Survey and Market Assessment for Solano Express
• International Walk To School Day 2022
• STA Board approves Rail Study for Vallejo Passenger Rail and Solano Rail Crossing Update 
• STA’s Solano Mobility Program Engages the Community 
• STA Allocates Funding for Three Projects-Programming of FY 2022-23 BAAQMD – TFCA Funds 
• STA Approves Community-Based Transportation Plan (CBTP) for Suisun City
• STA Approves Capital Plan for Solano Express Bus Replacement
• Get Involved with STA Advisory Committees
• STA Staff Update 

Highway Projects Update – State Route (SR) 37

Caltrans Headquarters’ Division of Environmental Analysis attended the October 12th STA Board Meeting to provide a presentation and answer questions regarding the SR 37 Planning Environmental Linkages (PEL) study. Over the past seven years, STA has partnered with Caltrans, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), and the other three county transportation agencies traversed by SR 37 (Marin, Sonoma and Napa) to plan for and fund near-term and longer-term improvements to the SR 37 corridor. Currently, the long-term planning work is being led by Caltrans Headquarters which is conducting a comprehensive PEL study covering SR 37 from I-80 in Solano County to Highway 101 in Marin County. This study is scheduled to wrap this year and is a precursor to the environmental process for the overall “Ultimate Project.”

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) is the lead agency for the initial phase, the priority SR 37 Interim Project, which covers the narrow two-lane segment from Mare Island Interchange in Solano County to SR 121 in Sonoma County. MTC’s consultant team has completed the environmental document for this Interim Project, slated to be completed in December 2022. MTC attended to present the status and overview of this near-term/Interim Project, which would construct High Occupancy Lanes from Mare Island to SR 121 and is estimated at $430 million to fully fund. Pending funding, the design phase for this project is scheduled to begin in 2023. 

STA is the lead agency for the segment of SR 37 from the Mare Island Interchange to I-80 in Solano County, focusing efforts on the SR 37/Fairgrounds Interchange, in partnership with the County of Solano and the City of Vallejo. This project has been environmentally cleared and designed, and STA is pursuing funding from various state, federal and regional funding opportunities to fund the construction of the project. 

STA Celebrates Completed Projects with Project Sponsors

On Thursday, Oct. 20, Caltrans, MTC, and the STA celebrated the completion of I-80/I-680/SR12 Interchange Project: Package 2A, a critical phase in the project to improve the I-80, I-680, and State Route 12 freeway interchange in Solano County. The I-80/I-680/Highway 12 project is a multiple-year, multiple-phase effort that includes Package 1 through Package 7. Package 1 was completed in 2017 with a new Green Valley Road Interchange and westbound Highway 12 connector from westbound I-80 to westbound Highway 12. The newly completed Package 2A improves the flow of traffic through the reconfiguration of three freeway ramps at the interchange. The design delivers improved driving, enhanced safety, smoother transitions and added capacity with a new two-lane connector channeling traffic sooner, a braided off-ramp, and a new slip ramp from Eastbound SR12 to Green Valley Road. Funding for the two-year, $93.7 million project includes $53.2 million in funding from Senate Bill 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, and $9 million in federal funding.

Caltrans, the City of Vallejo, and STA celebrated the completion of the I-80 Six Bridges Project in Vallejo on Thursday, October 6. The Project was completed three months ahead of schedule, saving about $100,000 and reducing the traffic impact to the residents of Vallejo and surrounding cities. Crews were able to increase the vertical clearance to 16 feet, 6 inches to meet the federal standards to allow modern trucks to pass underneath the first six bridges east of the Carquinez Bridge: Magazine Street, Benicia Road, Georgia Street, Springs Road, Tennessee Street, and Redwood Street. Pedestrian walkways were also improved for added safety. The cost of the project was $40 million from the State Highway Operation and Protection Program, which included $38 million in from Senate Bill 1 (SB1), the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017.

On September 27, SolTrans unveiled its first battery-electric, zero-emission highway bus and wireless inductive charger at the SolTrans Curtola Park & Ride Hub in Vallejo. The new Build Your Dreams (BYD) Battery-Electric, Zero-Emission bus joins four other all-electric buses in SolTrans’s local service fleet and will join the Solano Express Yellow Line this winter. The wireless charger will provide frequent incremental charges to SolTrans’ new BYD battery-electric, zero-emission bus. The automatic charging during loading simplifies electric bus operations, lowering operating costs. The BYD bus was funded through the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) funds obtained by STA. The wireless inductive charger was funded with Transportation Development Act (TDA) funds and assistance from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s (BAAQMD) Transportation Fund for Clean Air (TFCA) grant funds.

STA Updates Ridership Survey and Market Assessment for Solano Express

The 2022 Solano Express Ridership and Analysis Study is complete and was conducted during April and May of 2022. The consultant was able to conduct 1,181 on-board surveys throughout the Solano Express system (Blue, Green Express, Red including Rt. 82 and Yellow). This Study provides the basis for contributions to the Solano Express Operations funding agreement and is scheduled to go into effect beginning in FY 2023-24. 

The STA Board has adopted the Solano Mobility Market Assessment during the October Board meeting. The Market Assessment, conducted as a part of the Connected Mobility Implementation Plan, focuses on the mobility needs of Solano County and the built environment that shapes those needs. The assessment seeks to identify where people live, where they work, how they choose to get from place to place, and how existing mobility networks facilitate both local and interregional trip-making needs.

To view the completed 2022 Solano Express Ridership Survey and Analysis Study, click here. 

To view the Solano Mobility Market Assessment, click here.

Mayor Steve Young with students from Joe Henderson Elementary and Matthew Turner

Elementary Schools (Benicia)

International Walk To School Day 2022

The Solano Safe Routes to School Program is pleased to announce the participation of 31 Solano County schools in the 27th Anniversary of International Walk to School Day on Wednesday, October 12th. International Walk to School Day is a global event where children from across Solano County and the United States, as well as in 40 other countries worldwide, celebrate walking to school on the same day. This year, over 8,000 students in 31 schools throughout Solano County skipped the traffic line and walked to school. The Program works to make this an ongoing trend countywide while supporting the health and safety of the students.

STA Board approves Rail Study for Vallejo Passenger Rail and Solano Rail Crossing Update

The STA will issue a Request for Qualifications to select a consultant for two proposed studies: (1) a Vallejo Passenger Rail Study and (2) an update to the Solano Rail Crossings Safety Improvements Plan. The City of Vallejo has requested STA partner with them to fund and develop a passenger rail feasibility study covering the City of Vallejo.

STA has also identified the need to update the Solano Rail Crossings Safety Improvement Plan. The State of California has provided significant investments in building out the state’s rail network with the development of the State Rail Plan, presenting opportunities to seek funding for at-grade crossing improvement projects to improve safety and train operations reliability in Solano County. Updating the Solano Rail Crossings Safety Improvement Plan will identify crossings most impacted by current rail traffic and identify at-grade safety improvements that are needed, culminating in a program of priority rail crossing safety projects in the County that can be used to pursue necessary grant funding. 

STA’s Solano Mobility Program Engages the Community 

STA partner and Commute with Enterprise Consultant, Olivia Maddox, shared Vanpool benefit information during a Newcomer’s Orientation at Travis Air Force Base on September 15, 2022. The Commute with Enterprise vanpool program connects employees that live near one another. They receive a new model vehicle, share driving responsibilities, and enjoy the benefits of reduced commute expenses while adding time to their day. Through Commute with Enterprise, many of the base members will receive fully subsidized transportation and fuel by leveraging the Federal Transit Benefit of $280/month, a $400/month Vanpool subsidy from MTC, and a $200/month Solano County subsidy from the Solano Transportation Authority. To learn more about the Solano County Vanpool program operated in partnership with Commute with Enterprise, contact the Solano Mobility Call Center at 1-800-535-6883 or visit www.commutewithenterprise.com to sign up. 

Recently, Solano Mobility presented Travel Training workshops for two 55-and-up active communities in Rio Vista and distributed mobility and commuter program information at the Bike the Bridges Special Olympics Northern California fundraiser in Benicia.

STA’s Solano Mobility Program staff have completed FY 2021-22 annual reports for the Call Center, Solano Mobility Programs, and the Employer/Commuter Programs. Click to view the FY 2021-22 year-end reports for the Solano Mobility Call Center, Solano Mobility Programs, and the Employer/Commuter Programs.

STA Allocates Funding for Three Projects-Programming of FY 2022-23 BAAQMD – TFCA Funds



At the October Board meeting, the STA Board approved the allocation of $185,000 in BAAQMD TFCA Funds for three projects, one for a pedestrian project in Suisun City and two for EV Charger projects for Solano County. 

STA Approves Community-Based Transportation Plan (CBTP) for Suisun City

The STA Board approved the Final Community Based Transportation Plan (CBTP) for the City of Suisun City at October 12’s STA Board meeting. For the past nine months, STA Mobility and Transit staff have been working with the Suisun City Council and staff to develop the Community Based Transportation Plan for Suisun City. This CBTP involved an array of community engagement efforts that resulted in over 430 surveys from Suisun City residents, collaboration with local Community Based Organizations (CBOs), and surveying of the mobility priority and options for their residents.  



The Suisun City CBTP Final Plan was presented in August 2022 and was unanimously approved by the Suisun City Council, along with a series of implementation recommendations. Click here to view the City of Suisun City’s Final Community Based Transportation Plan; view the appendices here.

STA Approves Capital Plan for Solano Express Bus Replacement

STA has completed an update to the Solano Express Intercity Bus Replacement Capital Plan which includes $10.3 million to fund five CNG buses and five electric coaches for Solano Express to be purchased by SolTrans.

Get Involved with STA Advisory Committees

STA is asking for your help to build a more bicycle and pedestrian-friendly Solano County. The STA currently has open positions on our Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (PAC). The BAC and PAC advise the STA on the development of bicycle and pedestrian facilities as an active mode of transportation in Solano County. Committee members also help STA develop countywide transportation plans and projects and provide funding recommendations for active transportation projects.

We are looking for the following representatives:

Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC)

• City of Fairfield 
• City of Suisun

Pedestrian Advisory Committee (PAC)

• City of Vacaville
• Member-at-Large
• Member-at-Large (Solano Community College)

For more information on the BAC Open Positions, click here, and click here for more information on the PAC Open Positions. 

STA Staff Update

Janet Adams recently retired from the STA after completing a 17-year tenure as Director of Projects and Assistant Executive Director. During her tenure, she was responsible for completing many high profile projects including the widening of Jameson Canyon, the East Bound Truck Scales, Phases 1 and 2 of the I-80/I-680 Interchange, and worked with multiple partners to help advance many local projects.