Caltrans and Transportation Commission outline MAP‑21 implementation plan and form statewide working group

Caltrans and Transportation Commission staff briefed commissioners on implementation plans for MAP‑21 (the federal Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act), the federal highway law signed in July that consolidates programs, expands TIFIA financing and emphasizes performance measures and a national freight policy.

Caltrans Director Malcolm (as introduced at the meeting) said the agency has formed a MAP‑21 working group that includes state and local partners to identify implementation issues and draft state legislation as needed. The department said California will press to be at the table for the federal freight plan and that the department is establishing a California freight coordinator to engage with the U.S. DOT process. Caltrans staff also briefed the commission on an FHWA memorandum requiring reallocation of unobligated earmarks dating from roughly 2003–2006; federal guidance requires unobligated earmarks to be obligated by December 30, 2012, or funds may be reprogrammed.

Key federal changes Caltrans highlighted: - Program consolidation and state flexibility: MAP‑21 reduced the number of federal programs and gives states more discretion over how to apply funds among categories such as the National Highway Performance Program, Surface Transportation Program and a new Transportation Alternatives Program. - TIFIA expansion: the loan‑guarantee program increased capacity (noted at $750 million in 2013 and $1 billion annually thereafter in federal authorizations), which Caltrans said will help leverage billions in project finance. - Tolling and financing flexibility: MAP‑21 removed or modified some prior requirements in pilot programs and clarified circumstances under which tolling and public‑private partnerships can be used. - Performance measures and accountability: the law requires states to adopt performance targets; Caltrans said much of that work will be implemented through federal rulemaking and will involve AASHTO, MPOs and state partners.

State administration proposal: staff summarized a governor’s administration approach that would preserve a status‑quo distribution of federal highway funds for 2012–13 while the working group develops longer‑term policy. The administration favors maintaining overall funding levels similar to the last year under the prior federal law while the state and local partners identify how to allocate consolidated program dollars to preserve currently programmed projects.

Commissioners and stakeholder representatives urged several priorities: broaden outreach beyond transportation insiders to build public support for revenue options; include freight stakeholders, ports and rail partners early in federal freight‑plan coordination; provide minimum guaranteed funding for small rural counties; and clarify how newly consolidated programs will interact with existing state formulas and local suballocations. Several commissioners emphasized that the working group needs to move quickly and be inclusive because MAP‑21’s changes will be a blueprint for future federal legislation.

Caltrans also said it will host broader stakeholder meetings and provide materials on MAP‑21 implementation, and that some implementation steps will be accomplished through policy while others will require federal rulemaking over the next several months. The commission agreed to maintain close coordination with the department and to consider policy guidance to give regions and local agencies clarity while the working group completes recommendations.