[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6221761,"mediaKeyId","3611482-b23fb10d21bd5b02e66b38817d87e7aa","parentId",3611482,"title","Local agencies warn 20‑month limit may not be enough as wildfire impacts compound across project phases","audioSeconds",3701,"startMs",233000,"endMs",3934000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3611482-b23fb10d21bd5b02e66b38817d87e7aa&start=233&end=3934","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3611482-b23fb10d21bd5b02e66b38817d87e7aa/thumbnail_233000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6221761/California/Local-agencies-warn-20month-limit-may-not-be-enough-as-wildfire-impacts-compound-across-project-phases","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6221761-c14fcd8dcfdf7dabecbf16841d12185a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770997212&Signature=Mn2s7nJRpmzQzc22O73OeAZB~DxOnF0eo0eCpYKXXoh6svzop14VyixXR~Fw5XjWuUzompPuY9UmXtEUz17t8h2X9-A37bMJgnsmMrAQIz~Px40dD0lbK6ue0Wui7dmGdqw2PbowEafy6EDOHmPAWCM56A9yC9~uUGIXhzOr-qUeifGTKvqoCgnDGrEyg8zNE8vMBjBTGTxrP9hYAkqqgwY6FFytMMWm8xuveqRLwkfQgNoLWFOVu2p76uo4Iy26P~JgoDKbWjOvAuxA~MQ0B4vXeEHxnLscaG6BQUqI-21BxpZg8FUC6Q-7GueEZNOaOFA2z3Rp2rw-A~VKTBuslA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","California Transportation Commission","date","2025-05-28T18:55:21Z","article","City and county project managers told the Transportation Commission working group that wildfire impacts compound across project phases, creating situations where standard time extensions may not be sufficient to deliver projects.

Marco Arroyo, senior transportation engineer at the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, said delays in early phases push all subsequent milestones out and recommended that the commission consider larger allocation extensions for ATP projects. \"I believe so because I ultimately, when whenever we start shifting, schedules, especially in the early phases, like in preconstruction, it pushes the entire schedule out,\" Arroyo said, adding that \"allowing possibly 28 to 32 months of allocation extensions would really support keeping the schedules in line.\"

Marcelino Asencio of the Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering described an active project for which recent bids \"have been coming back substantially higher\" because of a post‑fire labor and pricing environment. He asked whether his project would qualify for the draft policy's additional time. Staff replied that agencies must document how delays are attributable to the covered fires and that they should follow up with staff for project‑specific review.

Agencies also raised supply‑chain and utility concerns. Louis (Luis) Drow of OCTA warned that long lead times for components such as transformers can impose multi‑year delays: \"we've been experiencing it since 2020 ... at minimum, a 2 and a half year delay on getting a transformer.\" Participants noted that Southern California Edison workload after the fires can slow utility permits and service work, which in turn delays construction schedules.

Multiple agencies asked how the interim policy would treat multi‑phase projects that have had earlier phase extensions. Diane Overland and Marco Arroyo described situations where preconstruction phase extensions consume the time available for later phases, creating a mismatch between expenditure deadlines and construction allocation windows. Several city representatives asked staff to consider resetting timely‑use start dates for later phases when earlier phases are delayed so agencies do not lose the ability to seek subsequent extensions.

Staff response and next steps

Commission staff said the draft policy was intended to be applied to each programmed phase as needed and that agencies could request extensions for multiple phases. Staff also acknowledged the issue of compounding extensions and said they would discuss internally how to preserve agencies' ability to seek additional time for later phases that suffer new or continuing delays. Staff invited agencies with imminent deadlines to supply project examples so the commission can evaluate whether 20 months is an adequate standard or whether program‑specific adjustments (for ATP, for example) are necessary.

Agencies asked for one‑on‑one follow‑up with staff; several confirmed they would provide documentation of SCE impacts, bid increases and material lead times to support requests to expand the draft policy beyond the proposed maximums.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","2025 Interim Timely Use of Funds Policy Working Group","oneSentenceSummary","City and county project managers warned the commission that wildfire‑related delays can compound across project phases, reducing the effectiveness of a single 20‑month extension cap.","taxTitle","Transportation Commission, Agencies under Office of the Governor, Executive, California","taxId",70065,"location","California","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6221766,"Staff propose interim 'timely use of funds' policy to extend deadlines for wildfire‑impacted projects",702,709000,6716,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3611482-b23fb10d21bd5b02e66b38817d87e7aa&start=709&end=6","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3611482-b23fb10d21bd5b02e66b38817d87e7aa/thumbnail_709000.jpg","/articles/6221766/California/Staff-propose-interim-timely-use-of-funds-policy-to-extend-deadlines-for-wildfireimpacted-projects","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6221766-2ca574d11bd44b0f21fab2e52debb226/orig.mp4?Expires=1770997212&Signature=MBpoxqRB8FKFvGDl~ULqj6mD0360i6Rp3emILpet6OmcjPPAzI4diLESJgvC-bJMR8V2HEOw1P5JWugfx1R~aamqwUoD03oI51NKE27h6MVxkfg7xqE2DOGdr6sLNUQNTINFGzI~IccMpxiSa11WiWaibuxL2A00KBBddqtSY6sc0nv-eZS8fHF3470gM0lAM2qaQSLFgrYgy03ex-H6NAb9Wbdfhe8jpRVfjhhvQ6Woqlg2vFln4JHpcUDWgkizUoEGkDrrUXDdjE3JsunHNqoFIaOH8hGq3216dl9Wo0W9YflQG5zjlUKgMA8wPKgw96sxJrBuwLi7tA6zfxkHEg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Commission staff presented a draft interim \"timely use of funds\" policy at a Transportation Commission working group meeting proposing extended deadlines for projects delayed by recent wildfires in Southern California. The draft would extend allocation deadlines for affected projects from June 2025 to the December 2025 commission meeting, automatically lengthen the contract‑award window, and allow amended time extensions for projects that can show delays directly attributable to the fires.

Staff said the policy would apply to the Active Transportation Program, the Local Partnership Program, the Solutions for Congested Corridors Program and the Trade Corridor Enhancement Program. It would not apply to the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), because timely‑use provisions for the STIP are set in statute and would require legislative change to alter.

Alika Changizi, Manager, Active Transportation Program, told participants that \"the time extension request under this interim policy must be submitted directly to Caltrans for processing,\" and that agencies must tie any request to fire‑related impacts. She said the draft would be presented for adoption at the June commission meeting and that staff would work with Caltrans on implementation details.

What the draft would do

- Allocation deadlines: For projects programmed in fiscal year 2024–25 and identified as affected by the declared emergency, the draft would move the allocation deadline from June 2025 to the December 2025 commission meeting.
- Contract award window: The automatic period to award construction contracts would increase from 6 months to 12 months for the duration of the interim policy; the change would be retroactive and include allocations approved at the January, March, May and June 2025 commission meetings.
- Amendments and maximums: Projects that previously received a shorter time extension could request an amendment so that the total extension for a given milestone could reach 20 months. Agencies may request additional time beyond 20 months if they can demonstrate that further delay is directly attributable to the covered wildfires; such requests would be considered case‑by‑case.
- Normal program requirements remain: Staff emphasized that program rules (environmental clearance, right of way, allocation application content) remain in effect; only the timely‑use timelines would be modified.

Why staff proposed the policy

Commission staff framed the draft as an interim, emergency measure intended to give agencies predictable, standardized options when project delivery is delayed by wildfire impacts such as site inaccessibility, damaged infrastructure, labor and material shortages, and utility delays. Staff said the governor's state of emergency proclamations for Los Angeles and Ventura counties were the proximate trigger for standing up the draft policy, and they invited agencies in nearby counties to request inclusion if they can document fire‑related delivery impacts.

Concerns and implementation steps

Agencies pressed staff for clarifications on retroactivity and process. Marcelino Asencio, Bureau of Engineering architecture division, said his office has seen \"bids have been coming back substantially higher\" as a result of post‑fire labor and market conditions and asked whether those projects would qualify. Staff replied that projects must demonstrate delays tied to the covered wildfires and that Caltrans district offices would process time‑extension requests following the same submission pathways used for previous emergency policies (for example, COVID‑era extensions), with additional instructions to be provided once the draft is finalized.

Staff listed next steps including: soliciting example documentation from counties and cities (staff asked Riverside County to provide examples tied to Southern California Edison impacts), working with Caltrans to specify submission forms and procedures, and presenting a draft for the commission's June meeting. Staff also said they would evaluate the continued need for the interim policy on a quarterly basis and recommended that provisions remain in effect through completion for any project that receives an approved extension under the policy.

Ending note

Staff asked agencies with imminent deadlines to follow up directly so staff and Caltrans can review specific projects. \"If there are specific projects that any of you are worried about because time is, deadlines are nearing, I would suggest ... a separate conversation about specific projects,\" Laurie (Commission staff) said during the discussion, inviting one‑on‑one follow‑up.","Commission staff presented a draft interim \"timely use of funds\" policy at a Transportation Commission working group meeting proposing extended deadlines for projects delayed by recent wildfires in Southern California.","actionData","errors"]

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Local agencies warn 20‑month limit may not be enough as wildfire impacts compound across project phases

Staff propose interim 'timely use of funds' policy to extend deadlines for wildfire‑impacted projects