Regional Transportation Plan
The Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) is a state-mandated, long range planning document that serves as a guide for future transportation funding decisions. The RTP outlines transportation challenges and establishes investment priorities for all of Santa Cruz County. The plan includes lists of transit, highway, local road, bike, and pedestrian needs in the region and estimates the amount of local, state and federal dollars that may be available for these projects over the next 20 to 25 years. The plan is updated every four years to reflect the latest funding estimates and project needs.
The current 2045 Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Plan was approved by the RTC on June 2022. RTC staff is currently working with local jurisdictions on developing the next regional transportation plan through 2050.
The Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG) coordinates the regional long-range transportation planning process for the tri-county region of Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito Counties. The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), as well as RTPs for Monterey and San Benito Counties, are incorporated into the federally-mandated tri-county Monterey Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy (MTP/SCS.) The 2045 Monterey Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy was approved by the AMBAG board on June 2022. AMBAG staff is currently developing the 2050 Monterey Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy.
Goals, Policies, and Targets
After a public input process, the RTC adopted new Goals and Policies for the RTP at its April 2024 meeting.
Revised Targets will be developed in Spring 2024.
Project List
The complete list of all transportation needs in Santa Cruz County is being updated for the next RTP.
The RTC is seeking input from advisory committees, project sponsors, and members of the public on the projects to be considered for the 2050 RTP and 2050 MTP-SCS project list.
Click the map below to view what transportation projects are already being planned.
NEW project ideas were solicited through August 2, 2024. There will be additional public input opportunities related to project prioritization.
Public Participation Plan
The SCCRTC is required by federal and state regulations to prepare and maintain a public participation plan every four years for the county to establish the process by which the public can participate in transportation planning, programming and project implementation including the development of the 2050 Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Plan.
The Final 2023 Public Participation Plan incorporates strategies to ensure that, to the greatest extent possible, interagency consultation and public participation are an integral part of the regional transportation planning and decision-making process. The plan emphasizes the transportation decision-making process, including the expanded use of visualization techniques and innovative online strategies in public outreach.
The Draft 2023 Public Participation Plan was released for public comment on June 14, 2023. A public hearing was held at the August 3, 2023 RTC meeting. The public comment period ended on August 23, 2023. Comments received on the Draft Plan have been incorporated into the Final Plan and are included in Appendix H.
Environmental Impact Report
AMBAG is preparing the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (MTP/SCS) and county-level RTPs. As a programmatic document, the 2050 MTP-SCS/RTPs EIR presents a region-wide assessment of potential impacts on the physical environment and identifies strategies to avoid or mitigate significant environmental effects. This document is intended to inform the public decision-makers, responsible or interested agencies and the public of the potential environmental effects of the 2050 MTP/SCS and RTPs. The 2050 MTP-SCS EIR does not provide a detailed analysis of individual projects. Projects will undergo a separate environmental review process, conducted by their agency sponsors once they receive funding and are ready to proceed.
In January 2024, AMBAG released the Notice of Preparation of an Environmental Impact Report for the 2050 MTP/SCS and county level Regional Transportation Plans (RTPs) for a public comment period ending on March 1, 2024. The public is invited to submit comments to Heather Adamson at AMBAG, 24580 Silver Cloud Court, Monterey, CA 93940 or to hadamson@ambag.org.
AMBAG hosted two virtual EIR scoping meetings/public workshops, to inform the public of the EIR and solicit input on the scope and content of the environmental analysis and alternatives, in February 2024.
The next opportunity for public input is when the Draft EIR is released, expected in December 2025.
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