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MCOG presents draft 2026 Regional Transportation and Active Transportation Plan update; public workshops scheduled
Summary
Mendocino Council of Governments staff presented the draft 2026 Regional Transportation Plan/Active Transportation Plan, a 20-year policy and project document covering all travel modes in the county, and announced more public workshops through October.
MCOG staff presented the public draft of the 2026 Regional Transportation Plan/Active Transportation Plan (RTP/ATP), a 20-year planning document the agency updates every four years per statute. The RTP/ATP covers all travel modes—streets, state highways, active transportation, transit, rail, aviation, maritime and tribal transportation—and identifies modal needs, goals, objectives and a financial plan.
Staff said the RTP/ATP process began last fall with a needs assessment and public outreach that included surveys, interactive mapping tools and workshops in multiple communities. The draft includes short- and long-term projects: state highway short-term items such as ADA projects and interchange work in Fort Bragg and Hopland; county and city road rehabilitation, intersection and streetscape projects; active transportation projects across Fort Bragg, Ukiah and other towns; transit facility and service upgrades; and tribal transportation coordination. Staff noted not all projects are funded and cited the STIP/RTIP funding environment: the California Transportation Commission's 2026 fund estimate left no new discretionary construction funds for the region because MCOG had previously advanced shares into the last cycle.
Staff outlined next steps: additional public outreach (including scheduled in-person workshops in Willits, Fort Bragg, Point Arena and Ukiah, plus a virtual countywide session), incorporation of comments, environmental documentation and targeted adoption. Staff said it will aim for a December adoption if necessary state approvals (including HCD's RHNA methodology decision) come through; otherwise the plan adoption would proceed on the statutory February deadline.
Board members encouraged adding locally prioritized projects to short-term lists where operationally feasible (a director asked to prioritize a Garcia River flooding project on State Route 1). Public comments included views on rail and regional express transit; one online commenter urged excluding rail from the plan on economic and environmental grounds, while others expressed support for improved express and interregional transit connections.
