Transportation Project List

* Recently, Gov. Gray Davis introduced a $5.2-billion transportation initiative. The plan would spend $100 million on state highway maintenance, $400 million (allocated on a population basis) on local street maintenance and $4.7 billion for 114 specified projects designed, for the most part, to fight congestion in the large urban areas while ignoring the rest of the state.

Thanks to Assembly member Hannah-Beth Jackson’s hard work and influence, the list of projects includes $15 million for the reconstruction of the California Street offramp in Ventura. This project would relocate the northbound Ventura Freeway offramp to Oak Street and Thompson Boulevard to address safety, pedestrian and congestion problems.

Ventura County is also happy to be on the receiving end of $11 million for local street and road maintenance, but we can’t help but feel that our citizens are being shortchanged.

Debate on the governor’s initiative will go on over the next few months. It is possible that other projects may be added to the list.

Let the governor and your state representatives know that you want to see additional local transportation projects included, such as the widening of Lewis Road between the Ventura Freeway and the Cal State Channel Islands campus and revamping the interchange at the junction of Highway 23 and the Ventura Freeway.

We are grateful for Assembly member Jackson’s support, without which Ventura County might have been a complete no-show on the governor’s list of projects.

GINGER GHERARDI

Executive Director

Ventura County Transportation Commission

Ventura