Senate Bill No. 695
CHAPTER 629

An act to add Sections 235 and 236 to the Streets and Highways Code, relating to transportation.

[ Approved by Governor  October 08, 2023. Filed with Secretary of State  October 08, 2023. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


SB 695, Gonzalez. Department of Transportation: internet website: state highway system data and information.
Existing law establishes the Department of Transportation and vests the department with full possession and control of all state highways and all property and rights in property acquired for state highway purposes. Existing law requires the department to improve and maintain state highways.
This bill would require the department, beginning January 1, 2026, to annually prepare and make available on its internet website information and data about projects on the state highway system from the prior fiscal year, as specified, and to present this information and data to the California Transportation Commission at a regularly scheduled commission meeting on or before April 1 of each year.
The bill would require the department to prepare and make available on its internet website, no later than January 1, 2025, data and information about projects on the state highway system covering the period from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2023, inclusive. The bill would require the department to prepare and make available on its internet website, no later than January 1, 2025, data and information on planned, pending projects on the state highway system. The bill would require the department to present this data and information to the commission at a regularly scheduled commission meeting on or before April 1, 2025.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 235 is added to the Streets and Highways Code, to read:

235.
 (a) The department shall prepare and make available on its internet website historical data and information about projects on the state highway system covering the projects on a fiscal year basis on the state highway system from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2023, inclusive. The department shall make this data and information available no later than January 1, 2025. The department, in consultation with the commission, shall develop a format for the data and information. The historical data and information shall include, but is not limited to, all of the following:
(1) The number of total lane miles in the state highway system.
(2) The number of new total lane miles added to the state highway system.
(3) Of the lane miles added to the state highway system, a breakdown of the number of miles added by type, including, but not limited to, general purpose lanes, auxiliary lanes, managed lanes, including high-occupancy vehicle lanes, and interchanges, as well as information on improvements to interchanges.
(4) A project description of each project that added lane miles to the state highway system.
(5) The number of miles of the state highway system that were relinquished.
(6) The number of miles of the state highway system that were converted from a general purpose lane to a managed lane, including a high-occupancy vehicle lane, and a high-occupancy vehicle lane to a high-occupancy toll lane or other type of lane.
(7) The number of homes and businesses that were relocated due to the acquisition of rights-of-way for the new lane miles on the state highway system.
(8) The number of new bike lane miles added to state highways, broken down by Class I, Class II, Class III, and Class IV.
(9) The number of new sidewalk miles added to state highways and the number of existing sidewalks that were reconstructed to improve accessibility and the safety of pedestrians.
(b) The department shall prepare and make available on its internet website data and information on planned, pending projects on the state highway system no later than January 1, 2025. The department, in consultation with the commission, shall develop a format for the data and information. The data and information shall include, but is not limited to, all of the following:
(1) A description of each project, including the location. Location information shall allow the public to clearly understand where the project is being undertaken and may include, to the extent available, specific highway routes, project boundaries, and geolocation data.
(2) The date each project initiation document was completed.
(3) The status of each project including the current phase of development, designated as environmental, design, right-of-way, or construction.
(4) A determination of the primary purpose and need of each project, if available.
(c) The department shall present the data and information required pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (b) to the commission at a regularly scheduled commission meeting on or before April 1, 2025.

SEC. 2.

 Section 236 is added to the Streets and Highways Code, to read:

236.
 (a) (1) The department shall prepare and make available on an annual basis on its internet website data and information about projects on the state highway system covering the prior fiscal year. The department shall make this data and information available no later than January 1, 2026, and January 1 of each year thereafter. The department, in consultation with the commission, shall develop a format for the data and information.
(2) For the data and information required to be made available no later than January 1, 2026, pursuant to paragraph (1), the department shall also include data and information about projects on the state highway system covering the 2023–24 fiscal year.
(b) The data and information shall include, but is not limited to, all of the following:
(1) All of the data and information described in paragraphs (1) to (9), inclusive, of subdivision (a) of Section 235.
(2) A quantification of an increase or decrease in greenhouse gas emissions associated with the lane miles added to the state highway system, if available.
(3) A quantification of an increase or decrease in vehicle miles traveled on the state highway system associated with the lane miles added to the state highway system.
(4) A quantification of the mitigation required by Section 21099 of the Public Resources Code as part of the projects that resulted in additional lane miles on the state highway system.
(5) The number of connections made with locally owned bike and walk facilities.
(c) The department shall present the data and information required by this section to the commission at a regularly scheduled commission meeting on or before April 1 of each year.