TRANSPORTATION, WATER & INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE
Meeting Date: June 23, 2025
Subject: CONSIDER Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account Annual Project List for Unincorporated Contra Costa County
Submitted For: Warren Lai || Director | PUBLIC WORKS
Department: PUBLIC WORKS
Referral No: 1
Referral Name: Review legislative matters on transportation, water, and infrastructure
Presenter: Joe Smithonic || Associate Civil Engineer
Contact: Jeff Valeros || Senior Civil Engineer | (925) 313-2031
Referral History:
A landmark transportation funding package titled the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (Senate Bill 1), was signed into law by Governor Brown on April 28, 2017, to generate new revenue to fund California’s significant funding shortfall to maintain the State’s multimodal transportation network.
Senate Bill 1 (SB1) increased several taxes and fees to raise over $5.4 billion annually in new transportation revenues. SB1 prioritizes funding towards maintenance, rehabilitation and safety improvements on State highways, local roads and bridges and to improve the State’s trade corridors, transit and active transportation facilities.
SB1 funds were made available to cities and counties starting in FY 2017/2018 and comprise two components-an increase in the original gas tax revenue (Highway Users Tax Account, or HUTA) that local agencies have been receiving prior to 2017 and Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account (RMRA) program funds.
SB1 includes annual performance and reporting requirements of local public agencies to be eligible to receive their apportionment of RMRA funds. The information and recommendations contained in this report will fulfill these requirements upon approval by the Board of Supervisors.
Referral Update:
The California State Association of Counties (CSAC) annually provides an estimate of the total gas tax revenues the County can expect to see from the transportation bill, broken down by HUTA and RMRA funding. CSAC estimates the County will receive about $47.4 million in total transportation funding for FY 2025/2026, with about $21.7 million of that amount from the RMRA program.
SB1 legislation emphasizes the importance of accountability and transparency in the delivery of California’s transportation programs. Prior to receiving its apportionment of RMRA funds from the State Controller, the County must submit to the California Transportation Commission (CTC) a list of projects (including maintenance activities) proposed to be funded with RMRA funds prior to the beginning of the ensuing fiscal year. All projects proposed to receive RMRA funding must be reviewed and approved by the County Board of Supervisors at a regular public meeting.
The list of projects must include a description and location of each proposed project, a proposed schedule for the project’s completion, and the estimated useful life of the improvement (see Attachment A). The project list does not limit the flexibility of an eligible city or county to fund other projects in accordance with local needs and priorities so long as the projects are consistent with RMRA priorities as outlined in Streets and Highways Code Section 2030. Example projects and uses for RMRA funding include, but are not limited to the following:
• Road maintenance and rehabilitation
• Safety projects
• Railroad grade separations
• Complete streets components (including active transportation purposes, pedestrian and bicycle safety projects, transit facilities, and drainage and stormwater capture projects in conjunction with any other allowable project)
• Traffic control devices
Streets and Highways Code Paragraph 2030(b)(2) states that funds made available by the program may also be used to satisfy a match requirement to obtain state or federal funds for types of projects as stated above.
The County currently expends the majority of the gas tax funds towards public roadway maintenance and rehabilitation of the 657-mile roadway network in unincorporated Contra Costa County. These funds are also used as the local funding match to leverage funds from State and Federal grant programs for capital projects that ensure safe and convenient public travel in a variety of modes (i.e. driving, walking and bicycling).
In FY 2025/2026 all RMRA funds are proposed to be used for road maintenance and rehabilitation activities. The selection of the roads for these activities considers factors such as their pavement condition and geographic equity.
Public Works staff historically presents the proposed project list in the May TWIC meeting prior to the start of the ensuing fiscal year. Presenting in the May TWIC meeting ensures there is sufficient time to have this proposed project list be adopted by the Board of Supervisors and is subsequently submitted to the CTC by the July 1 deadline. However, due to the cancellation of the May 2025 TWIC meeting, Public Works staff had already submitted the project list for adoption by the Board of Supervisors, and on June 10, 2025, the Board of Supervisors approved the project list by consent.
Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):
REVIEW the recommended list of Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account (RMRA) Senate Bill (SB1) funded road projects and RECEIVE public comment.
Fiscal Impact (if any):
If the project list is not approved by the Board of Supervisors and submitted to the CTC by the July 1, 2025, deadline, the County would not be eligible to receive its portion of RMRA funds for FY 2025/2026.