1. State of Orange County Mobility
Orange County Council of Governments March 16, 2017
Keeping Orange County Moving

2. The Challenge – Projections through 2035
167%
The primary challenge OCTA is facing is the projected demographic growth in Orange County.
In 2014 OCTA developed a Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) which indicated that by 2035, Orange County’s:
Population is expected to grow by about 400,000 residents.
The equivalent of adding a city the size of Miami or Oakland to the existing population.
Employment is also expected to grow by nearly 300,000
As shown by the yellow arrow, this growth will substantially increase congestion without additional investments.
19%
13%
12%
Housing
Population
Employment
Total delay due
to congestion

3. Solutions
This chart highlights some of the solutions we envision to reduce/alleviate congestion.
The majority of the revenue OCTA expects to receive over the next 20 years to implement the proposed investments in the transportation network will come from local sources.
Specifically, from Measure M, Orange County’s half-cent transportation sales tax.
I will go into greater detail about Measure M in a later slide.

4. Improvements and Results
These results compare the baseline anticipated results versus the improvements that can be realized with the improvements we envision.

5. 2017 Board Initiatives
Break ground on the I-405 Improvement Project (late 2017)
Continue to implement OC Bus 360°
Advance the OC Streetcar Project
Integrate technology solutions
Ensure fiscal sustainability
So far, I’ve focused on OCTA’s long range transportation goals.
Each year, the OCTA Board also establishes specific initiatives they would like OCTA to achieve during the calendar year.
This year’s initiatives include:
Breaking ground on the I-405 Improvement Project (late 2017)
Continue to implement OC Bus 360°--an initiative that looks at improving bus service and increasing ridership by offering faster, more convenient service in high- use areas and reallocating service from low-ridership areas
Advancing the OC Streetcar Project
Integrate technology solutions
Ensure fiscal sustainability

6. I-405 Improvement Project
Largest project in OCTA’s history ($1.9 billion)
Project scope:
Add one regular lane in each direction between Costa Mesa and L.A. County
Add express lanes
Improve freeway access and traffic on local streets
OCTA is moving ahead with the I-405 Improvement Project
This will be the largest project in OCTA’s history and we anticipate breaking ground on it later this year
The 405 is one of the nation’s most heavily transited highways (roughly 370,000 daily drivers)
Along with the added lanes, the project will rebuild 18 bridges, improve freeway access and traffic on local streets
Project critical to accommodate expected employment, population and housing growth (traffic on 405 expected to grow by 30 percent in next 25 years)
In 2040, it’s expected to take 29 minutes to travel during rush hour in regular lanes
Commute can be cut down to 13 minutes if driver chooses to take express lanes
Without the project, it would take 2 hours and 13 minutes to travel in regular lanes and 2 hours in carpool lanes
Express lanes portion modeled after successful 91 Express Lanes
Toll policy:
First 3 ½ years: vehicles with one person can use them if they pay a toll, two-person carpools are free during non-peak hours, vehicles with 3+ are always free
After first 3 ½ years: carpools of 2 people begin paying toll at all times

7. Time Savings of Project
Without the improvements, by 2040, it’s estimated it will take almost two hours to travel the 16 miles between the 73 and 605 in the evening peak rush hours. It seems to be headed that way now.
With this project, it will only take half an hour in the regular lanes and 13 minutes in the express lanes. That’s time savings that translates directly into improving the quality of our lives.
If the carpool lane was left as it is today and only a general-purpose lane was added, it would take nearly one hour in the general-purpose lane and carpool lane to travel the 16 miles.
If you choose to never take the Express Lanes as a single driver or as a carpool, your commute will still be a half hour faster than it would have been without the full 405 Improvement Project.

8. I-5 South County Improvements
Avenida Pico in San Clemente to San Juan Creek Road in San Juan Capistrano
Adds a carpool lane in each direction
Improves Avenida Pico interchange and on- and off- ramps
We are also making improvements to the I-5 in South Orange County.
This 5.7-mile project extends from Avenida Pico in San Clemente to San Juan Creek Road in San Juan Capistrano.
The four-year, $230 million project will:
Add a carpool lane in both directions on the I-5 from Avenida Pico to San Juan Creek Road
Improve the sight distance on the southbound curve north of PCH
Reconstruct the interchange at Avenida Pico, including widening the northbound Avenida Pico on-ramp to three lanes, and providing dual left-turn lanes to both on-ramps
Add sound walls where needed

9. 91 Express Lanes Extension
OCTA has a strong partnership with RCTC
Extending the 91 Express Lanes from the Orange County/Riverside County line to the I-15
Scheduled to open March 20
In addition to the projects we oversee, OCTA also works closely with our regional partners including the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC).
We have been working closely with the RCTC on their project to extend the tolled 91 Express Lanes from the Orange County/Riverside County line to the I-15.
In 2003, OCTA took public ownership of the 91 Express Lanes from a private firm that had owned and operated the lanes since their inception in 1985.
This private ownership had included a restriction on widening the 91 and other improvements that could be seen as competing with the toll lanes.
With OCTA’s purchase of the lanes, public officials from Orange and Riverside counties were able to make decisions on how the toll road is managed.
An advisory committee was formed with OCTA and RCTC officials to oversee the SR-91 Freeway corridor and make recommendations for improving transportation between the two counties.
The 91 Express Lanes has been hugely successful and excess revenues have allowed OCTA to improve the 91 corridor.
The 10-mile 91 Express Lanes provide a tolled option for motorists between the SR-55 and the county line.
The extension to the I-15 is expected to open in a few days on March 20.

10. Measure M
In November 2016, the OCTA board approved the Next 10 plan, which replaced the M2020 plan
New plan as a result of $10.1 billion funding shortfall
Plan will guide OCTA staff in advancing M2 projects through 2026
Will keep all promises made in Measure M
Also lower-than-projected STIP funding
Despite bleak funding forecasting, we are addressing the issue head-on and doing everything we can to obtain funding
TIFIA for I-405, for example

11. State Funding Issues and Legislative Initiatives
Reduced transportation funding due to declining gas tax and local sales tax
Exploring alternative funding mechanisms
State environmental initiatives
SB 32 and SB 743
Stability and distribution of cap- and-trade revenue
Declining gas tax situation will continue as vehicle fuel efficiency contributes to revenue loss
Impacts of reduced Local Transportation Fund and State Transit Assistance Fund
Capacity of the State Transportation Improvement Program is constrained by available resources
Alternative funding mechanisms include a road user charge and managed lanes
Prop. 1B program is ending
OCTA received $867 million for 111 projects
Project highlights include:
West County Connectors ITS elements
NB SR-57 widening
SR-74/I-5 interchange
SR-91 (Weir Canyon to SR-55)
8 Grade Separation projects
Metrolink rolling stock acquisition
Placentia Metrolink Station
Several local agency street improvements
San Clemente beach trail crossing
San Clemente and Dana Point rail crossings 

12. Status of Federal Programs
Potential federal infrastructure funding package
Implementation of FAST Act
Seeking a full-funding grant agreement for OC Streetcar
TIFIA loan for I-405 Project
Regional challenges with TIGER and FASTLANE competitive grants
FAA regulation on local sales tax measures
OCTA is in the process of seeking a full-funding grant agreement under the FTA’s Capital Investment Grant New Starts Program for the OC Streetcar project
The OC Streetcar project has been included on a list of 10 high-priority California infrastructure projects that the state has recommended for expedited permitting by the federal government
ARRA (American Recovery & Reinvestment Act) Projects:
$242 million for 71 projects
Highlights include:
SR-91 EB auxiliary lane
West County Connectors
Arterial rehab program
Transit projects

13. Looking Toward the Future
Tolling and managed lanes
OC Bus Next Generation
Enhancing Intercounty Connections
Partnering with TNCs
Monitoring development of autonomous vehicles
We are being proactive in finding ways to improve mobility throughout the county
This includes looking into:
Tolling and managed lanes
OC Bus Next Generation (focusing bus and rail service in dense areas)
Intercounty connections (express lanes, etc.)
And working with you all by responding to your changes and decisions in land use
We are also working toward the development of our 2018 LRTP
OCTA is also currently monitoring new transportation technology development through our Office of Innovation (launched August 2016)
This includes autonomous vehicles
Also working with transportation network companies or (TNCs) such as Uber and Lyft
Identifying partnering opportunities with TNCs to deliver on-demand transit
Looking for ways to replace lower-productivity service with private, shared-mobility service to reduce capital requirements
For example, we helped fund a program in San Clemente through Measure M’s Project V that provides residents with transit connections through Lyft