Transportation Officials Want State to Fund More Projects

Saying Ventura County is not getting its fair share of highway dollars, county transportation officials are vowing to intensify lobbying of area legislators and Gov. Gray Davis to include more local projects in the state’s $5.2-billion transportation budget.

The county was informed in April that it would receive about $18 million for transportation projects, including $15 million to move the traffic-choked Ventura Freeway offramp at California Street in Ventura.

But the county’s two top-priority projects--widening Lewis Road between the Ventura Freeway and Cal State Channel Islands University and revamping an interchange at the junction of California 23 and the Ventura Freeway--were not included in the funding plan.

“We are very happy for the money we have but we got less than our share and think we could get some more funding,” said Peter De Haan, director of programming and legislation for the Ventura County Transportation Commission.

De Haan said the county has 2% of the state’s population but is slated to receive just 0.5% of the total program money.

Officials said they will approach each of the area’s five legislators but may focus on Assemblyman Tony Strickland (R-Thousand Oaks), in whose district both projects are situated, and Sen. Jack O’Connell (D-Santa Barbara), who has taken the lead in promoting the new university.

Transportation Commission members, who make policy on regional transportation issues, and their staff members are disappointed because they were not consulted by area legislators and state officials before the governor made his transportation proposals public.

Most of Davis’ proposed budget is earmarked for large urban areas. De Haan said 38% of project funds would go to Los Angeles County, 31% to the Bay Area, 10% to projects in San Diego County, with 21% left for the rest of the state.

There are no projects in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey or Santa Cruz counties. De Haan believes the county may have an advantage, at least with the Lewis Road widening near Camarillo, because it fits the governor’s targeted projects.

“Basically what we have been told is that he wants projects that can be quickly implemented to relieve congestion, and the Lewis Road project does that,” De Haan said.

Widening Lewis Road from one lane in each direction to two lanes would cost about $25 million, of which about $10 million is already funded, De Haan said. The project is important because it would help move traffic to and from the new university.

The initial phase of the project is set to begin in February 2004 and finish a year later.

Strickland supports the project but the freshman Republican legislator said he doubts if he would be able to influence the Democratic governor’s decision.

“The most likely way to get that project funded is to get the people of Ventura County to contact the governor and get him on board to fund it,” he said. “I support both of these projects because they are needed.”

Kris Cuzmich, legislative consultant for O’Connell, said the senator is a strong supporter of the university but will need to evaluate projects in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, which he also represents, before deciding to promote Ventura County’s.

“If Lewis Road is your No. 1 project, then it’s his priority project in Ventura County as well,” Cuzmich said. “All of the counties have equal importance and he is realistic about not saying he could fund every project that is wanting.”

The county’s other project--redoing the California 23 and Ventura Freeway interchange in Thousand Oaks to relieve commute-time backups--would cost about $15 million and is not yet designed. De Haan said no funding has been secured for that project.

The governor’s transportation initiative is part of the larger budget and needs a two-thirds vote in the Legislature to pass. About $2.2 billion of his package is bonds that need voters’ approval to become law.