County adopts resolution to spend Prop. 1B funds

In the event the County of San Diego receives its Proposition 1B funding for local roads, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 October 14 to adopt a resolution designating up to $41,510,000 of Proposition 1B funding to be used for specific local streets and roads projects.

The road improvement projects include $1,000,000 to connect two portions of Knottwood Way and $400,000 for Rice Canyon Road curve design and right-of-way acquisition.

The sidewalk funding includes $140,000 for the design of the Ammunition Road project and $110,000 to design the Clemmens Lane sidewalk project.

The resurfacing and rehabilitation expenditures consist of $10,400,000 for various road resurfacing and rehabilitation projects, $5,280,000 for rubberized emulsion aggregate slurry treatments, $820,000 for curb, gutter, and sidewalk repair, and $70,000 for crack sealing. Proposition 1B was approved by the state’s voters in the November 2006 election and authorized $2 billion of funding for local streets and roads.

The funding is allocated to cities and counties by a formula.

Although the state’s current inability to sell bonds has adversely affected the distribution of Proposition 1B funding, the County of San Diego expects to receive up to $31.1 million of Proposition 1B funding for the current fiscal year.

The state fiscal crisis has also seen the suspension of Proposition 42 and other gas tax funding, but the county has also seen lower-than-expected construction contract bids and federal stimulus money allocated to the county through exchanges of San Diego Association of Governments funding sources.

Several projects for which Proposition 1B funding had been anticipated were funded with other funding sources or had a balance, and the county has a 2008-2009 Proposition 1B funding balance of approximately $10.4 million.

In order to receive Proposition 1B funding, the county is required to submit a list of projects for which Proposition 1B funding will be used.

If funds are not allocated by a city or county by July 1, that funding will revert to the state’s account.

The county’s allocations consist of $16.57 million for roadway resurfacing and rehabilitation projects, $12.98 million for road improvement projects which include curbs and gutters as well as intersections and road lanes, $4.72 million for signal synchronization and other traffic operation improvements, $4.17 million for sidewalk and pathway projects including local matching funds, and $3.07 million for roadway drainage projects.

The project costs in the allocations are approximate and will be refined as designs are completed and funding becomes available, and any adjustments will be approved at a future Board of Supervisors meeting.