El Dorado County Transportation Commission (EDCTC) is developing the Next Generation Transportation Investments Strategy (Next Gen Strategy). This aims to ensure that EDCTC can advance statewide goals related to land use, multi-modal transportation, climate and equity, and continue to deliver transportation projects that meet the needs of today’s rural residents.

The Next Gen Strategy will identify and outline the resources, metrics, and data needed for delivering projects that advance the state’s goals for climate resiliency, social equity, reducing Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT), and economic growth.

• The Next Gen Strategy represents a shift in the El Dorado County Transportation Commission's (EDCTC) regional planning approach.
• Previously focused on traditional rural transportation policies, EDCTC now integrates new priorities in response to state and federal changes.
• Key considerations include climate change adaptation, equity, and resilience.

• The strategy supports projects that address local rural needs while aligning with broader state goals such as the State’s Climate Action Plan for Transportation Investments (CAPTI), the California Climate Crisis Act of 2021, etc.

• EDCTC aims to:
  • Promote multimodal transportation
  • Integrate land use and climate equity
  • Address challenges faced by disadvantaged and underserved communities in the county.

El Dorado County has successfully utilized local, state, federal transportation funding, and grant programs to enhance existing and added needed transportation infrastructure. Key funding sources include the Active Transportation Program (ATP), Senate Bill (SB) 1, State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Program, Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) Program, Local Transportation Climate Adaptation Program (LTCAP), and the Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant (STPG) Program. These programs aim to improve mobility, increase biking, walking, and transit uses, enhance safety, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and support disadvantaged communities.

Successes:

EDCTC has secured funding for various projects in all transportation modes and has demonstrated effective use of grants and state funds. Many of these projects are currently underway in various stages of development. The projects can be reviewed in the mapping system below and in further detail in the Project Monitoring Report.

Challenges:

Rural and geographically diverse areas like El Dorado County face difficulties competing with urban regions for discretionary funding. Coordinating projects across jurisdictions and ensuring regulatory compliance increases complexity but can help competitiveness in certain programs.

This past spring, the Next Gen Strategy team received over 465 responses to a 4 week-long questionnaire designed to gather data on how community members want to prioritize transportation investments.

What we heard:

Faced with aging road infrastructure throughout El Dorado County, it was not surprising that over 72% of respondents ranked road maintenance, including repaving roads and fixing potholes, as a top priority for investment.

Based on comments made during the survey, suggestions for investments included:

• Upgrades to interchanges
• Improve road surfaces through pothole repairs and resurfacing roads
• Implementing long term repair solutions that will last for years

Safe, reliable transportation is essential in El Dorado County, where household vehicle travel is approximately 50% higher than in urban communities. County residents ranked safety and enforcement second behind repaving and maintenance efforts.

Comments and suggestions from community members:

• Increase traffic enforcement in residential areas and on highways
• Increase education regarding safe driving and road sharing with cyclists
• Please try to slow traffic in areas with high pedestrian and bicyclist activity
• Construct shoulders or bike paths
• Reduce traffic speeds around the corners

As part of public engagement for our transportation planning process, we are asking the public to review and comment on proposed transportation projects, suggest new projects, or identify problem areas in the western slope of El Dorado County (Transportation planning for the Tahoe Basin is done by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.)

Please use the online tool below to review, comment and suggest new projects.