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 2050 Regional Transportation Plan is currently underway and scheduled for RTC adoption June 2026. The sections below describe key milestones and opportunities for public input.

Adopted 2045 Regional Transportation Plan

RTP Fact Sheet

FUNDING & PLANNING

RTC Contact

Tommy Travers
Transportation Planner
info@sccrtc.org
(831) 460-3200

Policy Element

The Policy Element is a required component of the RTP and conveys the region’s transportation goals and policies. The 2050 RTP includes performance measures or targets that are used to prioritize projects and monitor the performance of the existing and planned transportation system.

The RTC adopted new Goals, Policies, and Targets for the 2050 RTP in late 2024 after review and input by the RTC advisory committees and members of the public.

Goals, Policies & Targets

Action Element

The Action Element of the 2050 RTP is a list of programs, projects and actions needed to operate, maintain, and improve the transportation system in Santa Cruz County. The RTP project list strives to assess the full cost to operate, maintain, and improve all modes of the transportation system in Santa Cruz County. All projects that will use federal or state funds must be included in the 2050 RTP project list.

"Constrained" projects could be implemented within the next 25 years given foreseeable revenues. "Unconstrained" projects need new funds and cannot be implemented unless there are significant changes in the amount of local, state, and federal funding available for transportation needs.

The RTC adopted the initial Complete project list in late 2024 after review and input by the partner transportation agencies and members of the public. The RTC adopted the Constrained project list in March 2025.

Constrained Project List

Financial Element

The Financial Element identifies the current and anticipated public revenue sources available to fund the planned transportation investments identified in the Action Element. The estimates show how much federal, state, and local, funding will be reasonably available for all transportation projects through fiscal year 2050 given recent revenue forecasts and state/federal transportation funding trends.

Over $6 billion is expected to be available to operate, maintain and improve the multi-modal transportation system in Santa Cruz County through 2050 (approximately $300 million per year) from 18% federal funds, 35 % state funds, 47% and local funds.

Projected Revenue Sources

Public Participation

AMBAG (Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments) is hosting public meetings in April 2025 on the development of the 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP), which supports the 2050 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). Attend the in-person or one of the virtual workshops to share your thoughts on transportation needs, impacts, and strategies in the region over the next 25 years.

Wednesday, April 2, 2025, 12 noon
Zoom Webinar ID: 884 9780 4544
Register for the virtual 2050 MTP/SCS Public Workshop at: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_bIkTeNHISRCC-ugTqFK5rA

Thursday, April 3, 2025, 6:00pm
Zoom Webinar ID: 884 9780 4544
Register for the virtual 2050 MTP/SCS Public Workshop at: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PD8Yt4izTzaXTTTsOCJXFQ

Thursday, April 10, 2025, 6:00pm
Watsonville Civic Center, 275 Main Street , Watsonville, CA, 95076
Community Room (Floor 6)

Survey
Through April 17, 2025, provide your input on transportation, land use, housing, and greenhouse gas reduction strategies to be included in the MTP/SCS. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NX3GKH6

Additional Resources

2023 Public Participation Plan (adopted November 2023)

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.

2045 Regional Transportation Plan (adopted June 2022)

The RTP is the state-mandated long-range, 20+ year transportation plan, and the MTP-SCS is the federally-mandated long-range transportation plan. The SCS is required by California Senate Bill 375 and shows how per capita vehicle miles traveled and associated greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced. Projects are required to be included in an RTP and/or MTP-SCS to receive certain transportation funds. The last updates of the RTP and MTP-SCS were completed in 2022, with a horizon year of 2045.

2045 Regional Transportation Plan

2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan & Sustainable Communities Strategy (MTP/SCS) (under development)

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 is the current plan for the region and was approved by the AMBAG board on June 2022.

AMBAG is currently developing the 2050 Monterey Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy, scheduled for adoption June 2026.

Environmental Impact Analysis for the 2050 RTP & MTP/SCS (under development)

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. 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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1101 Pacific Ave. Suite 250
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

(831) 460-3200
info@sccrtc.org