Funding

The Sonoma County Transportation Authority, SCTA, was formed as a result of legislation passed in 1990 to serve as the coordinating and advocacy agency for transportation funding for Sonoma County, and, since 2004, administers Measure M funds generated within Sonoma County through a local sales tax for specific transportation projects in the County. The SCTA partners with other agencies to improve transportation in the County, including Highway 101, local streets, transit, bicycle and pedestrian facilities.

In addition to Measure M, the SCTA coordinates local funding for a number of other sources:

Safe Streets for All

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) established the new Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) discretionary program with $5 billion in appropriated funds over the next 5 years. Up to $1 billion is available during each year of the program. The SS4A program funds regional, local, and Tribal initiatives through grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries.

On March 30, 2023 the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the second round of the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program to fund initiatives focused on preventing roadway deaths and serious injuries. Grant applications for this round of SS4A funding are due to USDOT on July 10, 2023.SCTA staff have examined the NOFO and have determined that it would best serve the region to collaborate on a multi-jurisdictional grant to fund projects this round of SS4A funding.

Transportation Fund for Clean Air

SCTA administers the Transportation Fund for Clean Air (TFCA) County Program Manager Funds. These funds come from a $4 vehicle registration surcharge applied to all vehicles licensed in the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. The TFCA County Program Manager Funds comprise 40% of the total funds created in Sonoma County. SCTA is responsible for programming these funds annually. Funding is used for transportation projects that demonstrate a positive effect on local air quality. Projects include transit, traffic control, and facilities and amenities for bicyclists and pedestrians. More information

Applications for the FYE 2024 Call for Projects are due on March 20, 2023.

TFCA Call for Projects
TFCA Project Information Form
TFCA Cost Effectiveness Worksheets for FYE 2024:
Arterial Management, EV Infrastructure, Trip Reduction, Vehicles 14,000 lbs or less, Vehicles 14,000 + lbs
TFCA County Program Manager Fund Policies for FYE 2024

Transportation Development Act, Article 3

TDA funds are generated from a statewide ¼ cent sales tax. Article 3 of TDA is a set-aside of approximately 2% of those monies. MTC administers TDA3, which is distributed based on population. Each year, an annual fund estimate or “entitlement” is developed for each jurisdiction. Unused entitlement is accumulated as credit. A jurisdiction’s claim in any given year cannot exceed the sum of their accumulated credit plus their projected entitlement for the following two years.

Sonoma County’s cities/towns and the County of Sonoma are eligible to apply. TDA3 funds may be used for bicycle lanes, bicycle and pedestrian paths, and related planning and marketing efforts. There are no matching requirements with this funding source. TDA3 projects are required to meet Caltrans safety design criteria and CEQA requirements, be completed within three years, be maintained, be consistent with adopted bicycle plans, and be authorized by a governing council or board. More information

Applications for the FY 2022-2023 TDA3 Call for Projects are due on March 13, 2023.

Senate Bill 1 (SB1) Road Repair and Accountability Act

Senate Bill 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, was signed into law on April 28, 2017. This legislative package invests $54 billion over the next decade to fix roads, freeways and bridges in communities across California and puts more dollars toward transit and safety. These funds will be split equally between state and local investments. SB1 provides significant funding for projects that are of high priority to the SCTA, though it does not come with funding to support the SCTA staff or the support work (soft costs) associated with most projects. More information on specific Sonoma County jurisdictions is provided in the following fact sheets:

County Overview
Cloverdale
Cotati
Healdsburg
Petaluma
Rohnert Park
Santa Rosa
Sebastopol
Sonoma (City)
Windsor

More information on SB1 from the State of California

Local Partnership (Competitive) Program (SB1)

The Sonoma County Transportation Authority (SCTA), as the eligible applicant for the above referenced funding program is issuing a call for projects to be submitted for consideration under the SB1 Local Partnership Competitive Program 2020 cycle. The cycle will cover Fiscal Years 2020-21 through 2022-23.

Eligible project types:
Are fully described in the Discussion Draft Local Partnership Program Guidelines (hereinafter LPP Guidelines) on the California Transportation Commission website (https://catc.ca.gov/programs/sb1/local-partnership-program/local-partnership-program-competitive) and are summarized below:

Improvements to the state highway system
Improvements to transit facilities
Acquisition, retrofit, or rehabilitation of rolling stock, buses or other transit equipment
Improvements to local road system
Improvements to bicycle and pedestrian safety or mobility
Improvements to mitigate the environmental impact of new transportation infrastructure on a locality’s or region’s air quality or water quality.
A separate phase or stage of construction for sound walls, landscaping, wetlands, or habitat restoration or creation, replacement plantings and drainage facilities
Sound walls for a freeway that was built prior to 1987 without sound walls
Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation
Other transportation improvement projects

Matching Funds:

Successful applications will require a minimum 1:1 match of funding (federal, local or state other than funds allocated by the California Transportation Commission).
Minimum Grant Size: $2,000,000
Maximum Grant Size: $25,000,000

Please submit the required information to SCTA staff for consideration by close of business (COB) March 2, 2020. All project information and submittals should be sent to Seana L. S. Gause, Senior – Programming and Projects, either by email at seana.gause@scta.ca.gov or by U.S. Post at 411 King Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95404. Questions and comments can be directed to Seana Gause at (707) 565-5372.

Delivery Schedule:

SCTA Staff Recommendation: March 26, 2020
SCTA Board Program Approval: April 13, 2020
Applications due to CTC: June 12, 2020
CTC Staff Recommendations: November 12, 2020
CTC Program Adoption: December 2, 2020

One Bay Area Grants

MTC’s One Bay Area Grant program — or OBAG — is a funding approach that aligns the Commission’s investments with support for focused growth. Established in 2012, OBAG taps federal funds to maintain MTC’s commitments to regional transportation priorities while also advancing the Bay Area’s land-use and housing goals. More information

Active Transportation Program

The Active Transportation Program (ATP) was created by Senate Bill 99 (Chapter 359, Statutes of 2013) and Assembly Bill 101 (Chapter 354, Statutes of 2013) to encourage increased use of active modes of transportation, such as biking and walking. The ATP consolidates various transportation programs, including the Federal Transportation Alternatives Program, State Bicycle Transportation Account, and Federal and State Safe Routes to School programs into a single program. Program funding is segregated into three components and is distributed as follows:

50% to the state for a statewide competitive program,
10% to small urban and rural regions with populations of 200,000 or less for the small urban and rural area competitive program, and
40% to Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) in urban areas with populations greater than 200,000 for the large urbanized area competitive program.

For the most up-to-date information on the Statewide ATP, refer to the California Transportation Commission (CTC) website.

For the most up-to-date information on the Regional ATP, refer to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) website.