Golden State Gateway Coalition
Challenge
Alleviate major congestion, air quality and safety problems in the Santa Clarita pass (Interstate 5 at State Route 14) due to truck and automobile conflicts and competition for roadway space and finance the $456 improvements.
Background
More than 200,000 vehicles depend on this stretch of highway every day, 19,000 of which are trucks devoted to goods movement. That’s over seven million trucks per year, 73 million vehicles per year total. In response to this need, the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) allocated $56 million of Measure R transportation funding to finance the construction of new truck lanes on I-5 between State Route 14 and Lyons Avenue/Pico Canyon Road. This funding falls under the 2009 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) which acts as a 30-year blueprint for the future of transportation in LA County. In addition, the California Transportation Commission programmed $75 million for the project. According the MTA, new truck and HOV lanes for this corridor would increase road capacity by a staggering 50 percent in the vicinity of Calgrove Boulevard and the Newhall Pass.
Solution
In order to ensure delivery of this much needed project, a non-profit was formed to forge a true partnership between the private and public sector. The Golden State Gateway Coalition (GSGC) consists of 60 members— 40 are community and business leaders and 20 represent the public sector. Acting as a non-profit transportation, education, and advocacy organization based in Santa Clarita, the GSGC is responsible for providing resources, obtaining funding, and assisting Caltrans in the design, finance, and construction of the I-5 HOV and truck lanes project.
Unlike a traditional public-private partnership, this partnership was not created as a limited exchange of capital for specific services rendered. Rather, the public and private entities are working together as equal partners under one roof to ensure effective delivery of the project. GSGC works with LA Metro, Caltrans, the Southern California Consensus Working Group, and other agencies to secure federal, state, and local funding as the project moves forward. By leveraging the resources and talents of the all parties, the GSGC was able to deliver the Environmental Document in nearly half the time and well under budget, demonstrating the efficiency and benefit of this distinctive way of doing business.