HIGHLIGHTS
March 25, 2026
TAMC Board Approves Request to Program Funds for the Toro Park Lane Closure Project
The Board of Directors of the Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) approved a request from the County of Monterey to program Regional Surface Transportation Program (RSTP) Fair Share Allocation funds for the Toro Park Lane Closure Project in the amount of $20,888.86.
The Toro Park Lane Closure Project proposes installing permanent measures, including a remotely operated gate and centerline delineators, to continue efforts to help the community stay safe during school pick-up and drop-off hours and reduce conflicts with cut-through traffic to Route 68.
TAMC receives RSTP funds, which total approximately $6 million per year, and distributes them to the Cities and County in two methods: fair share and competitive share. TAMC distributes $1.2 million per year as the fair share component to the cities and County based on population and lane miles. The County of Monterey has a balance in its fair share reserve in the amount of $20,888.86 and has requested the balance of these funds for the Toro Park Lane Closure Project.
RSTP was established by the State of California to utilize gas tax revenues on a wide variety of local transportation projects. TAMC receives these funds and is tasked with reviewing projects proposed for fair share monies and approving the funding if the project is deemed eligible under state law.
Monterey County Regional Vision Zero Safety Action Plan
TAMC’s Board of Directors received a presentation on the development of the Regional Vision Zero Safety Action Plan. Vision Zero is a global strategy to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries in a certain timeframe by treating them as preventable events.
In the U.S., the Vision Zero strategy led to the adoption of the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Safe System Approach. This is a holistic roadway safety guide that recognizes that humans make mistakes, that our transportation network should be designed to prevent fatal mistakes from happening in the first place, and to minimize the injury severity when a crash occurs.
The Monterey County Regional Vision Zero Plan will be a comprehensive, data-driven roadmap that unites agencies and communities to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries through targeted strategies, infrastructure improvements, and the Safe System Approach. As part of this work, the Agency must adopt a goal statement, and this is expected to be a template for the safety action plans for other jurisdictions.
TAMC is developing the Monterey County Regional Vision Zero Safety Action Plan and individual safety action plans for the following jurisdictions that do not already have one: Carmel by the Sea, Del Rey Oaks, Gonzales, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Pacific Grove, Sand City, Soledad, and the County of Monterey (note: the Cities of Monterey, Seaside and Salinas have already adopted comprehensive safety action plans, or are in the process of developing safety action plans using federal Safe Streets for All funds). This comprehensive project reflects collaboration with partner agencies and other stakeholders to promote coordinated solutions to reduce fatalities and injuries due to traffic collisions in Monterey County.
Following the presentation and a robust discussion, the Board of Directors adopted the following goal statement for its safety action plan and recommends other agencies use it as a template:
TAMC and Monterey County jurisdictions believe that everyone deserves to travel safely. To achieve this vision, TAMC has set an ambitious and achievable goal to reduce fatal and serious injuries by 30% by 2030 with the goal of eliminating fatal and serious injuries by 2040.
State Route 68 Corridor Status Report
TAMC’s Board of Directors received a status report on two projects currently being developed to address traffic issues along State Route 68 linking the Salinas Valley to the Monterey Peninsula: implementing adaptive signal operations at all signalized intersections; and constructing roundabouts at the intersections of Corral de Tierra, San Benancio, and Laureles Grade. The two projects are intended to address traffic issues without adding roadway capacity in this environmentally sensitive area.
Adaptive Traffic Signal Project
TAMC has allocated $1.5 million towards the project to upgrade signal equipment for adaptive traffic signal operations. This technology uses artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically adjust signal parameters in response to changing traffic conditions. Caltrans procured and installed the adaptive system at all nine intersections along the Scenic State Route 68 Corridor.
The project team is collecting performance data to establish baseline (i.e., "before") project conditions. Caltrans staff will start adaptive operations once training is completed in March, and adjustments will be made through April. The team expects the adaptive operations to be optimized in early May when traffic data will be collected to establish "after” conditions while schools are in session. TAMC hired a third-party consultant team, GHD, to conduct a "before and after study" that will use travel times and other signal performance measures to evaluate traffic signal operations along the corridor and quantify the benefits of the adaptive signal project.
Phase 1 Roundabout Project
After a lengthy environmental analysis compliant with state and federal laws, Caltrans selected the long-term traffic solution along the Scenic Highway 68 corridor to be the construction of roundabouts at all nine signalized intersections and five wildlife crossings under the state highway. Phase 1 of this project will construct two wildlife crossings and roundabouts at the three eastern intersections of the corridor: San Benancio Road, Corral de Tierra, and Laureles Grade. Caltrans anticipates using the "hybrid" roundabout project design like that constructed at the intersection of Highway 1, Holman Highway, and the Pebble Beach gate. The Phase 1 Roundabout Project is funded through the design phase and the construction bid package is expected to be ready for listing before December 2027.
Next Steps
Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) Grant: Applications will be due in November 2026 for the next cycle of funding. To qualify for the SB 1 grant, the project bid documents must be ready to list by December 2027. The current schedule has this work being completed by October 2027. The critical path schedule relates to design work, and Caltrans expects to complete the 95% plans before the end of 2026.
Benefit-Cost Analysis: The team expects to complete the benefit-cost analysis in May and present it to the TAMC Board at the May or June meeting. This item is expected to include a staff recommendation regarding the continued effort to complete designs and the SB 1 grant application.
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