Tulare County board approves 2026–27 transportation plan, citing $115 million in projected revenues and focus on road maintenance

The Tulare County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on June 23 to adopt the county's 2026–27 County Transportation Improvement Program (CTIP), a multi‑year capital plan that county staff said will guide investments in major road and bridge projects and preservation work.

Reed Shanei, director of the county's Resource Management Agency, told the board the CTIP 'helps us define where we're going in our capital improvements' and summarized projected revenues around $115 million for the fiscal year, drawing on Measure R, state gas tax and vehicle registration funds (including SB1), local transportation funds and federal grant programs.

Why it matters: the CTIP groups larger, long‑lived projects (bridge replacements, new lanes, major widenings) separately from ordinary maintenance like pothole repair and sign replacement. The plan identifies major near‑term work such as construction of Caldwell Avenue phase two (Visalia to Farmersville) and initiation of design for phase three (Farmersville to the freeway), bridge replacements and targeted overlay programs in each supervisorial district.

County staff stressed the preservation angle: Tulare County's pavement condition index (PCI) averages about 60 on a 0–100 scale. Shanei outlined three 10‑year funding scenarios: a $73 million per‑year program to reach a PCI of about 75, a $39 million per‑year program to maintain a PCI of 60, and the county's current status‑quo allocation of roughly $30 million per year applied directly to surface treatments.

'We're at about 115 million', Shanei said during the presentation, summarizing where the revenues are projected to come from and which projects the county plans to initiate. Assistant Director Ahmed Alat walked the board through recent accomplishments, including a federally funded Mountain Road 109 bridge replacement and an Avenue 144 roundabout the county engineered in‑house.

Supervisors praised the plan and highlighted funding constraints for rural counties.

'Measure R has brought in billions of dollars enabling us to continue to do these projects,' said Supervisor Larry McCari, urging outreach and voter awareness ahead of future funding measures. Other supervisors noted the difficulty of competing with metropolitan areas that receive much larger per‑mile funding allocations.

Board action and vote: Supervisor Dennis Townsen moved to adopt the CTIP and find it exempt from environmental review under state statute; Supervisor Eddie Valero seconded. The board approved the motion 5–0 (ayes: Larry McCari, Pete Vanderpool, Amy Shuckle, Eddie Valero, Dennis Townsen; no votes recorded against; no abstentions). The board directed staff to implement the plan and authorized the environmental assessment officer to file a notice of exemption.

Background and next steps: the CTIP is largely an implementation roadmap. Some projects will proceed to design this year; federally funded projects require separate grant processes. County staff said the permanent repairs from the March 2023 storms remain in progress, with a goal to complete final repairs by December 2028 as funding reimbursements and federal approvals are resolved.

The plan will guide allocation decisions across districts, balancing overlays, bridge work, ADA improvements and rapid response funds for urgent repairs.

Outcome: CTIP approved; staff to begin project implementation and follow routine grant and design steps.