Since 2011, the Orange County Transportation Authority has invested more than $1 billion in Measure M2 funds in Orange County streets and roads since 2011 (when the renewed transportation half-cent sales tax went into effect), according to an announcement by the agency.
The original Measure M (which OCTA has recently re-branded as “OC Go”), was approved by voters in 1990, imposing a half-cent transportation sales tax and merging the OC Transit District with the OC Transportation Commission to form the Orange County Transportation Authority. OCTA oversees how the funds are administered to local cities and jurisdictions throughout Orange County.
Enactment of the tax made OC a “self-help county” and dramatically lessened reliance on the state for transportation funding.
While Measure M was scheduled to expire in 2011, the agency placed a 30-year renewal on the ballot in 2006, which was approved by 70% of the voters. Measure M is expected to generate a total of nearly $15 billion through 2041 to improve Orange County’s transportation network.
“The network of streets we have in Orange County is routinely noted as the best in the state and that comes only through careful planning and strong partnerships between OCTA and our cities,” said OCTA Chairman Mark A. Murphy, also the Mayor of Orange. “Ultimately, it’s the voters of Orange County who should be thanked for this significant milestone because they had the foresight to support Measure M.”
The money collected is used to continue building an efficient and sustainable transportation network, with 43% going to improve freeways, 32% going to streets, and 25% going toward public transit. Measure M also helps OCTA, the county’s transportation agency, leverage state and federal money to make improvements.
The funds that go specifically toward streets are distributed both through fair-share formula funding and through competitive grants, helping to fix potholes and resurface streets and to synchronize traffic signals in every community.
Measure M provides money for streets through:
• The Regional Capacity Program: Provides competitive funding to improve busy streets and intersections on Orange County’s Master Plan of Arterial Highways.
• Regional Traffic Synchronization Program: Provides competitive funding to support projects across city boundaries that synchronize traffic signals to ensure drivers hit the most green lights during peak traffic hours. That includes regularly synchronizing more than 2,000 traffic lights along 750 miles of streets, which reduces congestion and improves air quality.
• Local Fair-Share Program: Provides formula-based funds to preserve existing streets and roads and provides other transportation improvements based on the priorities and needs of local agencies.
The more than $1 billion in funds invested in Orange County has helped:
• Allow Orange County to keep up with population growth and economic activities
• Lead to a more complete roadway network
• Provide safety enhancements by repairing sidewalks, upgrading pedestrian amenities with features in compliance with the American with Disabilities Act
• Add bike lanes and signage
• Relieve congestion, lessening stop-and-go traffic and benefitting the environment through green-house gas reductions
• Maintain Orange County’s standing as having the best pavement conditions in the state.
OCTA will continue investing the money collected through Measure M as Orange County’s transportation network evolves and grows.
