Mobility 21 Summit Early Bird Registration Closes Today

Mobility 21 is excited to bring together more than 1,200 transportation leaders and elected officials for the 17th annual Southern California Transportation Summit on Friday, Oct. 19 at the JW Marriott at L.A. Live

Registration

  • Early Bird (ends today!): $295
  • Late Registration: $395
  • Register now!

Sponsorships

  • Visibility, access and education!
  • Every sponsorship includes an exhibitor booth – less than 10 spaces left!
  • Sponsor today!

Plan Your Day


Mobility 21 Advisory Board Member Spotlight:
Frank Lopez
Senior Government Affairs Manager, SoCalGas

Frank Lopez is the senior government affairs manager for SoCalGas, the largest natural gas distribution utility in the United States, where he represents the utility on legislative and regulatory issues before Los Angeles City and County.

Over the last 10 years, Lopez has built a career in public affairs and policy, advocating specifically for regional transportation, energy, and environmental policies and infrastructure projects at the local, state and federal levels.

Prior to joining SoCalGas, Lopez served as director of public policy at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, overseeing the development of the Chamber’s policy and advocacy agenda. During his tenure, Lopez led several key initiatives, including annual advocacy trips to Sacramento and Washington, D.C. and an annual conference that provided Southern California public and private infrastructure providers a platform to discuss and collectively advocate for critical projects.

Previously, Lopez was social equity caucus coordinator for Urban Habit, an environmental justice non-profit organization based in Oakland, California that advocates for low-income communities and communities of color throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. In this role, Lopez led a coalition of 75 non-profit organizations focused on regional transportation, housing, energy, and environmental policy issues.

Before joining Urban Habitat, Lopez served as a Bohnett Fellow for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, where he helped develop and implement a clean technology economic development strategy.

Prior working for Mayor Villaraigosa, Lopez interned for the U.S. Treasury Department, Financial Management Service in Washington, D.C. through the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities National Internship Program.

Lopez serves on the boards of the Central City Association, Project Restore, Koreatown Youth Community Center, Southern California Water Committee, and Mobility 21. He also co-chairs the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce’s Energy, Water & Environmental Sustainability Council and Central City Association’s Transportation, Infrastructure, and Environment Committee.

Lopez holds a master’s degree in public policy from University of California at Los Angeles and an undergraduate degree in business economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara.


Mobility 21 Advisory Board Member Spotlight:
Kip Field
Southern California Area Manager, HDR

Kip Field is the Southern California Area Manager for HDR and a civil engineer with over 30 years of experience in the planning, development and implementation of infrastructure projects in California in both the private and public sectors. He began his career at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works with a focus on transportation planning and land development. Yet the majority of Kip’s experience has been in the private sector as a consultant working primarily in the planning and design of transportation projects.

He has extensive experience in leading large, complex transportation organizations, addressing the needs of multiple constituencies, and delivering transportation projects. He has successfully managed a statewide program, involving over 165 cities in 19 counties as well as over 127 state, federal, regional and local agencies.

As a consultant, some of the notable projects he has been involved with include program management of California High-Speed Rail and the Orange County Transportation Authority’s Metrolink Expansion/Grade Crossing Program. As the Director of Public Works for the City of Corona he led the department through the development and completion of multiple water and roadway infrastructure projects. During that period

he served as a partner with the Riverside County Transportation Commission and led the city’s involvement in the development of the State Route 91 Corridor Improvement Project, a $1.3 billion design-build freeway improvement project through the city.

In recent years Kip has been focused on leading HDR Southern California to growth in the highly competitive transportation, water, power and construction services markets.

Kip was born and raised in Nebraska. He has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Nebraska and is always happy to return to HDR’s headquarters in Omaha for meetings, especially when its football season.

He resides in Riverside and spends as much time as possible with his children and their families. He also enjoys his time in the outdoors; hiking, fishing and camping.


SCE’s Charge Ready programs are paving the way for expanding zero-emission electric transportation throughout Southern California

Summit Platinum Sponsor Spotlight:
Southern California Edison

SCE Charges Forward With its Plans to Expand Electric Transportation

Southern California Edison (SCE) is working to put more than 7 million electric vehicles and over 200,000 electric trucks and buses on our state’s roads and in its freight yards by the year 2030.

“Electrifying fleets, including cars and trucks, will be key as we make the transition to a clean energy economy,” said Katie Sloan, SCE Director of Transportation Electrification.

In May, the state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) approved SCE’s “Charge Ready Transport” plan, providing $356 million to help grow the transportation electrification market over a five-year period by installing electric infrastructure at customer sites to support charging plug-in buses, medium- and heavy-duty trucks, forklifts and other non-road cargo handling equipment.

In June, SCE filed a plan with the PUC to expand its Charge Ready program to support the installation of 48,000 more charging ports throughout Southern California. If approved, the proposed $760 million program would continue over four years. Other Charge Ready pilots include Home Installation Rebate, DC Fast Charge, Transit Bus and Port Electrification.

“At SCE, we’re committed to helping our state reach its goals for reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution,” said Chris Thompson, SCE Vice President of Local Public Affairs and Mobility 21 Advisory Board Member. “SCE’s Charge Ready programs are paving the way, and we’re proud to be a leader in expanding zero-emission electric transportation throughout Southern California.”

Learn more at www.edison.com/te.


Summit Sponsor Spotlight:
Metrolink

Metrolink is excited to partner with Mobility 21 to allow conference attendees to ride Metrolink free of charge with their conference registration confirmation.

Metrolink is an integral part of providing alternate forms of transportation to the Southern California region. Eighty-two percent of Metrolink riders have an automobile, but choose to take the train to get to their destinations – more than any other public transportation agency in the area. This means that because of Metrolink’s service, there are less cars on the region’s freeways. In fact, Metrolink removes the equivalent of one to two lanes of parallel freeway traffic during peak hours of the area’s most popular freeways.

In addition to achievements in safety, such as Positive Train Control interoperability, and sustainability, with the recent debut of the Tier IV locomotives, Metrolink has recently introduced Southern California Optimized Rail Expansion (SCORE). A 10 year, $10 billion program that will reshape the way Southern Californians use commuter rail. The benefits of SCORE includes safer, more frequent, reliable and quieter service.



Click here to view full-size map.

Feasibility Study Looks at Possible
Routes for Crenshaw North Extension

One of many eagerly sought Measure M transit projects is a northern extension of the Crenshaw/LAX Line.

Metro has released a staff report and Feasibility Study/Alternatives Analysis for the project that looks at five potential light rail routes: four would extend the Crenshaw/LAX Line north to the Purple Line and then through West Hollywood to the Red Line in Hollywood and one to the Red/Purple Line at Vermont Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard.

The Crenshaw/LAX Line is an 8.5-mile light rail line that is currently under construction between the Green Line and the Expo Line. A northern extension of the Crenshaw Line was looked at as part of the planning studies for the Crenshaw/LAX Line but the funding wasn’t available at that time. Under the Measure M spending plan, the northern extension has a targeted groundbreaking date of fiscal year 2041 with an opening in 2047 unless the project is accelerated.

From the staff report: 

There has been a long-standing interest among West Hollywood local elected officials and stakeholders to accelerate the delivery of the Crenshaw Northern Extension.Within the provisions allowed under Measure M, Metro staff has committed to exploring a viable path forward to accelerate the project, consistent with adopted Board policy:Early Project Delivery Strategy. 

A significant finding emerging out of the Feasibility/Alternatives Analysis Study done to date is the fact that the cost of all five alternatives exceed Measure M funding allocations, some by approximately double. Any potential acceleration strategy at this juncture would have to address that factor, either through mitigating cost, securing new revenue, or a hybrid of both.To better target project delivery options and a funding strategy, there is a need to conduct broad public outreach and potential further technical study to prepare for a next stage of environmental review.

Staff will consult with the cities of Los Angeles and West Hollywood to develop a strategy of next steps and attendant schedules for the next stage analyses. Metro staff is targeting to return to the Board in September, contingent on the city consultative process.


Crews work overnight to demolish the McFadden Avenue bridge over Interstate 405 at the border of Huntington Beach and Westminster. The demolition work, which took place Aug. 18 and 25, shut down about a one-mile stretch of I-405 for eight hours each night to safely take down the bridge.

OCTA’s I-405 Work in Full Swing with Bridge Demolition

The first major construction work – or in this case demolition work – on the I-405 Improvement Project occurred in August with two full overnight freeway closures to take down the McFadden Avenue bridge in Huntington Beach and Westminster.

The demolition of the bridge is the first of at least 18 bridges in the project area that are being replaced, built or widened to make room for additional lanes on I-405 in Orange County.

The full freeway closures, from late Saturday night to Sunday morning on Aug. 18 and 25, were necessary to safely demolish the McFadden Avenue bridge.

The work is part of the $1.9 billion I-405 Improvement Project, which will add one regular lane in each direction between SR-73 and I-605 and a second lane in each direction in the center of the freeway that will combine with the existing carpool lanes to form the 405 Express Lanes.

The project will speed up travel times on I-405 between Costa Mesa and the Los Angeles County line, an area traveled by more than 370,000 vehicles a day.

This 16-mile segment of I-405 is one of the most heavily traveled stretches of highway in the nation, and both the regular lanes and carpool lanes are heavily congested during rush hour and on weekends.

The project is critical to accommodate expected employment, population and housing growth throughout the region.

It currently takes drivers about an hour to travel this section of freeway during rush hour and without the project, the commute is projected to double in the next 20 years.

Once the project is finished in 2023, it is expected to take about 30 minutes to drive the 16 miles during rush hour in the regular lanes and about 15 minutes in the 405 Express Lanes.

People are encouraged to visit the project website at www.octa.net/405improvement to sign up for construction alerts via automated call, text message or email.


The existing Route 60 is two lanes in both directions; the new lanes will allow slower moving trucks to stay to the right and allow faster vehicles to pass.

RCTC Receives $71.55 Million to Fund Route 60 Truck Lanes

The California Transportation Commission (CTC) awarded $71.55 million to the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) on August 16 to build truck lanes on State Route 60 in the “Badlands” area of unincorporated Riverside County between Moreno Valley and Beaumont.

This allocation of state funding is the final amount needed to complete the funding package for the $138 million Route 60 Truck Lanes Project. Funding is provided by a combination of $47 million in federal sources, $80 million in state sources, and $11 million from Measure A, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements in Riverside County.

The CTC’s action to complete the overall funding for the project with the $71.55 million allocation allows RCTC to begin advertising for construction bids this fall. Construction is estimated to start next summer, and work should take about 2.5 years to complete.

The project will add an eastbound truck-climbing lane and a westbound truck-descending lane along a 4.5-mile stretch of Route 60 from Gilman Springs Road to 1.4 miles west of Jack Rabbit Trail. The truck lanes are designed to enhance safety and improve traffic flow along this steep, curvy roadway, which is hampered by collisions that cause delays, injuries, and fatalities.

Accident rates on westbound Route 60 in this area are more than double the total statewide accident rates. Eastbound Route 60 accident rates are higher than the statewide average.

The road is currently two lanes in both directions; the new lanes will allow slower moving trucks to stay to the right and allow faster vehicles to pass. The project also will upgrade the freeway shoulders to standard widths — 10 feet on the inside shoulders and 12 feet on the outside shoulders.

For project information, please visit www.rctc.org/projects.


Join SBCTA for the 6th Annual Business 2 Business Expo

Thursday, Sept. 27
Ontario Convention Center
More info | Register

The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) is proud of its ongoing relationship with the contracting community of Southern California. The 6th Annual Business 2 Business Expo scheduled for Sept. 27 at the Ontario Convention Center will connect prime and subcontractors, enhance awareness of local labor and educate prospective bidders on what makes for an effective proposal.

Past events have resulted in lasting relationships to enhance opportunities for big and small contractors alike.


Help Orange County Design a
Transportation Plan for the Future

Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is now shaping the future of Orange County transportation! We’re paving the way towards the year 2040 based on projected increases in population, housing, and employment. We need help from Orange County residents! What do you want your daily journey to look like?

Four ways to participate:

  • Survey: Give your input online, help us see OC through your eyes.
  • Art Contest: Students! Show us your transportation vision, win up to $200! *
  • Telephone Town Hall: Share your ideas with the experts on Sept. 12
  • Family Open House: Bring the whole family for a fun night on Sept. 22

* Art contest open to students K – college. See contest rules for details.

Click here to learn more.


Port engineers connect a ship to shoreside power at the Port of Hueneme.

Port of Hueneme Receives Green Marine Recertification

The Port of Hueneme recently completed the annual recertification process to maintain their Green Marine certification, reporting even greener scores than last year. This comes one year after the Port made history as the first port in the state to earn the certification. The Port of Hueneme remains the only in California to be Green Marine certified, and is pushing full speed ahead with environmental initiatives and projects.

“We approach our strategic planning, construction projects, and day-to-day operations with the goal of strengthening our community through creating good paying jobs and a clean environment, these go hand in hand for us,” said Oxnard Harbor District President Mary Anne Rooney. “This would not be possible without the support and collaboration of our community and local stakeholders who partner with us to implement innovative and cutting-edge strategies and projects.”

For example, the Port has brought in eco-friendly pilings to be used in the upcoming Port deepening project. The pilings are made from composite recycled plastic as opposed to the traditional wood pilings and do not emit any chemicals into the water. This helps protect the marine life in the harbor, as well as provides long-term pilings to hold up the wharfs as the harbor deepens to 40 feet. The pilings are also made in America and in compliance with the Buy American grant requirement. Furthermore, the Port’s customers have been utilizing the shoreside power system since 2016, which allows ships to plug into electricity while in Port and turn off their diesel burning engines as cargo is unloaded.

“Since becoming Green Marine certified last year, we have been successful in implementing new technologies and best practices at the Port including a new zero waste policy, phasing in high mast LED lighting to reduce energy use and light pollution, overhauling a harbor patrol boat to reduce emissions, switching to compostable supplies, and hosting zero waste events,” said CEO & Port Director Kristin Decas. “We have also been pursuing new grant opportunities to help the Port build greener infrastructure and procure zero-emission cargo handling equipment.”

Over the past year, the Port has continued to make strides in their waste reduction program which included the Board of Harbor Commissioners adopting a new zero waste policy. This action was rewarded with a higher score by Green Marine in the waste management category this year. The Port also improved their internal coordination for spill prevention which led to even higher marks for that category in which the Port already had five stars. In addition, the Port also maintained its five-star rating in Community Impacts and Environmental Leadership.

Green Marine’s environmental program assists ports, terminal operators and shipping lines in reducing their environmental footprint through a comprehensive program that addresses key environmental issues and criteria using 11 performance indicators including air emissions, prevention of spills and leakages, community impacts, and environmental leadership. The Port received the highest possible scores in the spill prevention, environmental leadership, and community impact categories. Being that Green Marine is completely voluntary, it affirms even further the Port of Hueneme’s commitment to staying on the leading edge of environmental stewardship.

Membership in Green Marine requires that members demonstrate year-over-year meaningful improvements in measurable ways to maintain their Green Marine certification. Green Marine’s metrics and their results are independently verified and released to the public. The Green Marine Performance Report can be found here.

Established in 2007, Green Marine is a North American environmental certification program for the maritime transportation industry. The program stems from the maritime industry’s voluntary initiative to surpass regulatory requirements. The Green Marine program’s unique character derives from the support being earned from more than 50 environmental groups and government agencies. These supporters contribute to shaping and revising the program. Read more at www.green-marine.org.


The Toll Roads’ Senior Lien Bonds
Upgraded to A- by S&P Global Ratings

In yet another strong indication of the financial strength of the Transportation Corridor Agencies’ (TCA) and Orange County’s Toll Road system, S&P Global Ratings (S&P) has upgraded all of TCA’s toll revenue bonds and given them a stable outlook. The 73, 133, 241 and 261 Toll Road’s senior-lien bonds and junior-lien bonds have been upgraded to A- and BBB+, respectively.

In Fiscal Year 2018, the routes recorded more than 96 million transactions and have experienced year-over-year growth for the last four years. Strong market economics, transaction growth, management and governance contributed to the ratings upgrades. According to S&P, The Toll Roads’ market position is strong, and they are “becoming a virtual requirement for drivers who depend on saving time.”

To fund construction of Orange County’s 51-mile toll road network, TCA issued toll revenue bonds to private investors. In 2013 and 2014, the bond debt was refinanced to take advantage of historically low interest rates and establish debt structures that align with The Toll Roads’ actual historic revenue growth. Since the refinancings, annual transactions have grown more than 20 percent and annual toll revenues have grown more than 40 percent – exceeding projections, filling required reserves funds and providing flexibility to weather economic downturns.

This positive action by S&P follows a trend of credit upgrades by all three major credit rating agencies – S&P, Moody’s and Fitch Ratings, Inc. – over the past two years. Moody’s recently upgraded the 73 Toll Road’s bonds to Baa2 and revised the 133, 241 and 261 Toll Roads’ bonds to outlook from stable to positive.

The Toll Roads have been providing a choice for drivers for more than 20 years and the tolls collected are used to fund debt service issued to construct the system, operations and capital projects. Currently, more than 330,000 daily transactions are recorded on The Toll Roads system, which represents 20 percent of Orange County’s highways and is the largest toll road network in California.