STIP approved; director says allocation will help fund phase 2 of truck climbing lanes though exact STIP amount not memorized

At the March 19 meeting, the executive director reported that the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) was approved at a California Transportation Commission meeting and that the approved program includes phase 2 of the truck climbing lanes project in Kern County. "The STIP was approved," the executive director said, adding that Commissioner Guardino called out the project during the vote.

When asked for the precise allocation amount for phase 2, the executive director said he did not have the exact number at hand, initially saying, "oh, man. I don't know the number." In subsequent remarks, staff discussed project-cost estimates: the executive director cited a general total cost range of about $40 million to $50 million for the complete project and said about $25,000,000 would cover roughly half of the construction needs.

Board members and staff framed the STIP action as an important recognition by the state of the project's priority and a step toward advancing environmental work and additional grant applications to close the remaining funding gap. The executive director said that once environmental work defines costs more precisely, staff will pursue additional state or federal grants to complete funding.

What happens next: staff will proceed with environmental clearance and cost development for phase 2 and pursue grants to cover remaining needs; no final construction schedule was adopted at the meeting.