The Trinity County Board on Dec. 17 approved several Department of Transportation (DOT) items intended to move local projects into state and federal funding pipelines and to keep essential services operating.

The board approved Amendment No. 1 to an engineering agreement with Dauken Engineering (Phase 1 increase of $154,967.25) to support bridge preliminary engineering and environmental work. DOT director Panos Cocos explained bridge replacement projects require specialized geotechnical and bridge engineers and that environmental/NEPA tasks often represent the largest budget items.

The board also authorized Trinity Transit to contract with Swiftly Inc. for real‑time rider information and approved an annual fuel supply contract with Hunt & Sons LLC to provide bulk fuel to county fleets and partner agencies.

On programming, the board adopted amendments to the county’s Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and approved the 2026 Regional Transportation Improvement Program (RTIP) for inclusion in the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). Staff said projects included on the RTIP/RTP are necessary to secure state and federal funds and that some amendments respond to storm damage or newly available grant opportunities.

Supervisor Brownfield (District 5) objected that many of her district’s road concerns and requests were not visible in the RTP/RTIP amendment before the board and urged better communication and consultation between DOT and commissioners; DOT said many projects on the list originate from prior public outreach and that programming decisions reflect both funding availability and technical eligibility.

All items passed by roll call vote with one or more supervisors urging follow‑up briefings to ensure district priorities are heard in programming discussions.