CalTrans

Moms 4 Housing

A Dark Night for the Right to Housing Movement

After a string of high-profile successes in places as geographically distant as Philadelphia and the East Bay Area, an ugly episode in L.A. County the day before Thanksgiving dealt a brutal setback to the burgeoning right to housing movement.

December 1, 2020 - LAist

5/605 Interchange

Not So Fast: Metro Board Hits the Brakes on Southern California Highway Expansion Plans

Political opposition to the controversial I-605 Corridor Improvement Project is gaining traction on the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors.

October 27, 2020 - Streetsblog Los Angeles

5/605 Interchange

Planned Highway Widening Requires Eminent Domain in Southern California

Advocates are calling out regional and state transportation planning agencies for a failure of racial justice as plans to widen a freeway in Southern California move forward.

October 11, 2020 - Streetsblog Los Angeles

Northern California Toll Lane

More Toll Lanes Coming to California Freeways

Solo drivers in the Golden State will have more options to escape traffic congestion on busy freeways – for a price, as transportation agencies increasing decide to convert existing carpool lanes to high-occupancy toll lanes and add new ones.

January 2, 2020 - Los Angeles Times

Bay Area

Crowdsourcing Ideas for Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Replacement

The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, connecting the East Bay and the North Bay near San Francisco, is 63 years old, but a local elected official is thinking about how to replace it.

December 5, 2019 - The Mercury News

San Francisco, California

Caltrans to Ditch Level of Service for Vehicle Miles Traveled

Unlike for land use regulations, state law doesn't require Caltrans to switch from Level of Service to Vehicle Miles Traveled in measuring the environmental impact of projects. The state department of transportation is making the change anyway.

November 27, 2019 - Streetsblog California

Ca73

Governor's Transportation and Climate Actions Stir Controversy in California

California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order last month directing state agencies to consider climate goals in their spending and operations. Two weeks later, three highway widening projects were deleted, and locals are crying foul.

October 18, 2019 - Streetsblog California

San Francisco, California

Governor's Veto Kills Complete Streets Requirements for Caltrans

California Governor Gavin Newsom over the weekend vetoed a bill that would have required the state's department of transportation to consider public transit as well as bike and pedestrian infrastructure when planning projects on state-owned roads.

October 14, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Caltrans Freeway Planning

Freeway Project, Previously Named as a 'Boondoggle,' Defeated by Environmental Lawsuit

What could have been the first new freeway for Los Angeles County in decades might now only mark the end of an era.

October 8, 2019 - Streetsblog LA

Oakland skyline and San Francisco Bay

The Many Ongoing Public Transportation Projects of the Bay Area

The San Francisco Chronicle offers a round-up of 11 big transit projects, by Caltrans, BART, SFMTA, and others, making progress around the bay.

March 25, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

San Bruno, California

Managed Lanes Coming to the San Francisco Peninsula

State and county officials gathered on Friday to celebrate the start of a $514 million project to convert carpool lanes to express lanes and connect auxiliary lanes to make for a lane addition. The 32-mile project on Highway 101 opens in 2022.

March 13, 2019 - San Mateo Daily Journal

MacArthur Maze Bay Area

S.F. Bay Area’s MacArthur Maze Headed for Major Upgrade

An upcoming project will raise the clearance height of connectors, but construction is expected to bring even more delays to the heavily used network.

March 8, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Bill Would Make California's Urban State HIghways Safer for Non-Motorists

Sen. Scott Wiener introduced legislation to make state highways that run through villages, town, and cities, often acting as main streets, accommodate the safety needs of walkers, cyclists, and transit users when undergoing capital improvements.

January 19, 2019 - Streetsblog California

Interstate Highway

Cities Rally Around New Plans for Southern California’s Interstate 710

After more than 60 years, a slew of new road projects will leave the debate about the Interstate 710 gap in the past.

November 27, 2018 - Pasadena Star-News

Highway Construction

'Rebuilding California': Controversy Over Signs Telling People Their Tax Dollars Are at Work

Caltrans says signs on transportation projects are nothing more than a useful way to show taxpayers that gas tax funds are being put to good use. But not everyone agrees.

August 28, 2018 - KPCC

Davis and Sacramento

Widening I-80 from Davis to Sacramento: HOT Lane or HOV Lane?

Caltrans is studying a plan to widen 16 miles of Interstate 80 through Solano and Yolo counties, over the Yolo Bypass. Initially, the plan called for a carpool lane, but uncertainty about funding makes a toll lane a possibility.

June 5, 2018 - The Sacramento Bee

Interstate Highway

A Traffic Solution 'Straight Out of the 1950s'

That's how the Los Angeles Times editorial board characterized the $6 billion plan by Los Angeles Metro to widen the 710 freeway. "A waste of money," they assert. Key to the solution is how to deal with goods movement from the seaport complex.

February 26, 2018 - Los Angeles Times

Public is Receptive to Plans for Express Lanes on Hwy 101 in Bay Area

Caltrans hopes to build two 14-mile high-occupancy toll lanes on Hwy 101 in San Mateo County, one of the region's most congested corridors that lacks carpool lanes. The $534 million project would begin construction in 2019.

December 16, 2017 - The Daily Journal

Interstate Highway

With a 710 Freeway Extension Unlikely, Cities Propose Alternatives

After withdrawing support for a controversial extension of the 710 Freeway, Los Angeles Metro is asking cities for local road improvements to improve traffic flow in its stead.

November 30, 2017 - Pasadena Star-News

Carpool Lane Sticker

Second Attempt at Renewal for California's Clean Air Vehicle Decal Program

New legislation would continue the Clean Air Vehicle program after Jan. 1, 2019 to allow zero and near-zero emission vehicles to continue to qualify for carpool lane stickers in the Golden State.

July 10, 2017 - Santa Monica Daily Press

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Top Books

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Top Schools

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100 Most Influential Urbanists

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A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.