23rd Annual Mobility 21 Summit
On behalf of the Mobility 21 Board of Directors, thank you to our sold out audience for participating in the 23rd Annual Mobility 21 Southern California Transportation Summit!
View the 2024 Summit Flickr Album
Watch the 2024 Summit Playlist
Mobility 21 Advisory Board Member Spotlight:
Macaria Flores
City Executive – Los Angeles, CA, North America
Arcadis U.S., Inc.
Macaria brings over 20 years of strategic leadership experience in both the public and private sectors. As an experienced strategist with deep roots in the political, regulatory, media, and City community, she has spearheaded many complex large scale projects in the Los Angeles region. Including, securing a 10-year financial stability plan for the Los Angeles Department of Public Works, developed a legislative blueprint for both the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County’s proposed alternative technology facilities, and securing one of the region’s largest solar developments.
Macaria is responsible for developing strategies to position and further expands ARCADIS’ robust portfolio of work across the mobility, resiliency, placemaking and architecture markets in Southern California.
Prior to joining ARCADIS, Macaria served as the Vice President of Energy and Environment for a prominent public affairs lobbying firm in Los Angeles. Her technical background and experience working alongside public officials and policymakers makes her well suited in her current capacity. Macaria began her career as an Environmental Scientist with the State of California’s Regional Water Quality Control Board.
She serves on various local and statewide boards lending her expertise on environmental issues, mobility, sustainability and Science Technology Engineering Arts Math initiatives for girls.
Mobility 21 Advisory Board Member Spotlight:
Joe Toolson
Senior Vice President and South West Area Regional Manager
Mott MacDonald
M. Joseph Toolson is currently Senior Vice President and South West Area Regional Manager for Mott MacDonald (MM). As a part of this international full-service engineering organization of over 18,000 employees world-wide, he brings expertise in Rail and Transit, Highways and Bridges, Utilities, Airports, and transportation programs specifically in project delivery. His education includes a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from San Jose State University in 1988 with further education through international training at MM.
Throughout his 36-year career, he has focused in different sectors of transportation from planning, engineering, and environmental, to design, and construction implementation, and claims resolution.
He has a firm understanding of the issues which surround project delivery specifically in transportation infrastructure which he has learned from his participation with multiple self-help county programs starting with the original Measure A in Santa Clara County legislated to improve regional transportation. Along with this program in Santa Clara, he has supported the project delivery teams associated with many other transportation improvement programs throughout the State of California such as those in Alameda, San Bernardino, San Diego, Orange, and Los Angeles Counties.
Aside from fulfilling his role as a South West Portfolio Manager for MM, Mr. Toolson has also served many major regional projects including the I-405 Design-Build Highway Project, D Line Subway Extension Project, OC Bridges grade separations, SR-22 Design-Build, and others. Mr. Toolson’s past roles have also included serving as a practice lead for MM for Highways and Bridges and for the Program Management.
Summit Platinum Sponsor Spotlight:
Bechtel
For over a century, Bechtel has led the way in delivering transformative transportation infrastructure that connects communities, reduces congestion, and enhances quality of life. In California, Bechtel has played a pivotal role in shaping the state’s transportation landscape, from designing the original Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system in the 1970s to our 37-years of dedicated service with the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC), supporting projects in the area.
Bechtel’s collaboration with RCTC has delivered over $4.4 billion in transportation solutions, including 21 highway projects that have significantly improved safety and mobility in the County. Notable projects include the Perris Valley Rail Line and the Interstate 215 Placentia Avenue interchange, which have both enhanced access to local communities and boosted tourism at several destinations in Riverside County.
We are in the process of preparing for the Coachella Rail Line Project, which will connect Los Angeles to the Coachella Valley, providing a traffic-free route to Palm Springs and Palm Desert, as well as providing construction management services for the BART Silicon Valley Phase II Extension, improving transit between North San Jose and Santa Clara.
Our teams are proud to have delivered over 300 rail projects and over 10,000 kilometers of railroad, globally. We are building more than just projects; we are building a better world.
AJ Design’s Expertise in Technology Helps Agencies and Leaders in Transportation, Engineering, and Construction Communicate Successfully
AJ DESIGN offers a wide range of creative services, including 3D modeling and animation, video production, graphic design, web design, and illustration. They also provide event technical coordination, custom virtual event rooms, and interactive architectural visualization (IAV) to deliver dynamic and immersive experiences.
3D MODELING AND ANIMATION – Communicate successfully with 3D modeling and animation. Help the public understand the purpose and possibilities behind your upcoming project by bringing it to life with as much detail as you envision. Highly detailed exterior and/or interior scenes provide your audience with an accurate representation of the project at whatever stage or stages you prefer to showcase. Provide CAD drawings or even concept drawings and AJ Design will develop detailed, life-like renderings. The models can stand alone or be placed into captured still image or video scenes.
VIDEO PRODUCTION – Communicate successfully with custom video. Whether you choose to communicate with your team, with the general public, or with clients video inspires, informs, and delivers results. AJ Design’s video production services include: script/content writing, storyboards, filming (including aerials), video graphics, 3D modeling and animation, voice-over, music scoring, and editing, Whether you have a developed script and a detailed shot list, or a simple idea, we’ll help take your project through the pre-production, production, and post-production process.
GRAPHIC DESIGN – Communicate successfully with graphic design. AJ Design’s extensive design experience sets brands apart. Allow others to see your unique position in a saturated market, and remember what your company offers, by using outstanding design on your marketing materials.
WEB DESIGN – Communicate successfully with a custom designed website. AJ Design provides complete web design packages including planning, layout, graphic design, content writing, site building, custom scripting, and debugging. We will customize your package to fit your needs whether it includes designing the visuals for your site from scratch and writing content, or simply building and scripting content you provide.
EVENT TECHNICAL COORDINATION – Communicate successfully at your event when Attila Juhas of AJ Design provides the technical coordination you need. Prior to the event, trust him to help you prepare visual materials such as slides, videos, print materials, and sponsor loops. On the day of the event, he helps the flow of show move forward smoothly as he runs the event visuals. When pressure runs high, and the client requests last-minute changes, he remains calm, works quickly, and helps solve unforeseen challenges.
CUSTOM VIRTUAL EVENT ROOMS – Communicate successfully with a customized virtual event meeting space. Start with an existing building or let us help you create the ideal professional environment for public outreach meetings, company showcases, exhibitions, and other unique virtual events. Leave static online meeting spaces behind and take advantage of custom scripted interactions tailored to fit your needs and the needs of your client. Virtual events give you the opportunity to connect with people beyond your usual reach. Travel and time hurdles are overcome and a personalized meeting space remains possible.
SCAG Adopts 2025 Federal Transportation Improvement Program and Connect SoCal 2024 Amendment 1
On Sept. 5, the SCAG Regional Council adopted the 2025 Federal Transportation Improvement Program (FTIP) and Connect SoCal 2024 Amendment 1, including the associated transportation conformity analyses. The Regional Council action was based on the SCAG Transportation Committee’s recommended adoption of the 2025 FTIP and Connect SoCal 2024 Amendment 1 and the SCAG Energy and Environment Committee recommending adoption of the transportation conformity analyses.
A funding document spanning six years, the 2025 FTIP includes over 1,100 projects totaling $38.8 billion. The FTIP incorporates a wide range of multimodal investments supported by federal, state, and local funds to improve transportation options across Southern California. Connect SoCal 2024 Amendment 1 introduces changes to better meet regional needs, such as additions, deletions, and modifications to project scope, cost, and schedule, for approximately 350 projects.
During the 30-day public review period, the draft 2025 FTIP received 21 comments, including five general observations and 16 comments specific to individual projects. The draft Connect SoCal 2024 Amendment 1 received eight comments, including one comment on demographics and growth forecasts, one general comment, and six project-specific remarks. SCAG staff reviewed and addressed all feedback, incorporating relevant suggestions into the final documents. Importantly, none of the comments or the resulting revisions affected the transportation conformity analyses or determinations.
Additionally, in adherence to the California Environmental Quality Act, SCAG staff prepared an addendum to the recently certified Connect SoCal 2024 Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR). The Regional Council reviewed and adopted the addendum to the 2024 PEIR as recommended by the Energy and Environment Committee before the approval of Amendment 1.
SCAG anticipates receiving final federal approval for transportation conformity for both the 2025 FTIP and Connect SoCal 2024 Amendment 1 by mid-December 2024.
To learn more about the 2025 FTIP, Connect SoCal 2024 Amendment 1, or 2024 PEIR addendum, visit the SCAG website.
SCAG is conducting the “2024-2025 SoCal Transportation Study” to better understand the transportation needs of Southern California residents. Thousands of residents in the region will receive invitations to participate in this voluntary transportation study. Participants who complete the study by recording their travel activities for one week will be eligible to receive a gift card. The study closes Nov. 3, 2024.
Participation in the study is essential to generate insights about how the region can maintain and enhance mobility, accessibility, and connectivity for its growing population amidst emerging travel choices and evolving travel patterns. The information collected will be instrumental in planning and prioritizing future transportation improvements. Residents are invited to participate using an app called rMove™ on their smartphones, online, or by phone.
Visit the SCAG website to learn more and sign up.
Community Celebrates the Completion of the Mayor Berwin Hanna Bridge and Hamner Widening Projects
New bridge honors RCTC Commissioner and former Norco Mayor Berwin Hanna
After several decades of community support, advocacy, and hard work, the drive on Hamner Avenue between Norco and Eastvale will be easier. On Monday, August 26, 2024, the County of Riverside Transportation Department (TLMA), along with the communities of Norco and Eastvale, celebrated the opening of the new Mayor Berwin Hanna Bridge over the Santa Ana River and the completion of the Hamner Avenue Widening Project. The newly completed bridge was named after long-time city of Norco resident and active community member Berwin Hanna. Hanna has served the community of Norco as mayor, councilmember, and was appointed to represent the city of Norco on the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC). The completion of the new bridge represents a vital connection and partnership between our communities.
The original bridge, built in 1939, has long been a link between Norco, Eastvale, and the surrounding unincorporated areas in Riverside County. Although the bridge was widened and seismic upgrades were completed in 1978, the work was eventually rendered outdated and insufficient, prompting the county to begin construction on the new 1,200-foot-long bridge in January 2021. The new Mayor Berwin Hanna Bridge features a structural, seismic, and hydraulic state-of-the-art design. In the immediate vicinity, Hamner Avenue was widened from two to six traffic lanes to enhance traffic flow.
The project also widened the median and shoulders creating a new 12-foot-wide separated multipurpose trail on the east side of the bridge. The new trail is anticipated to open soon and will give equestrians, pedestrians, and cyclists a safe route across the bridge and access to the Santa Ana River Trail.
TMLA delivered this $71 million project with various funding sources, including Senate Bill 132, Transportation Uniform Mitigation Fees, federal highway bridge funds, and Coastal Conservancy funding to construct access to the Santa Ana River Trail. The old adage “it takes a village” could not be more fitting regarding funding for this critical project. RCTC, along with City of Norco, City of Eastvale, state and federal legislators including Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes, Senator Richard Roth, Representative Ken Calvert, advocated for this much needed funding.
This project is a critical improvement for the region, enhancing public safety, traffic flow, and better connectivity for various modes of transportation across the Santa Ana River. RCTC is proud to have helped the cities advocate for the funding to keep our keeping moving. For more information about this project, please visit www.hamneraveproject.com
Photos: https://www.rctc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/0824_The_Point_Hamner_Bridge_Banner_v2.jpg
Photos: https://www.rctc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/0824_The_Point_Hamner_Bridge_Dedication.jpg
Metrolink to Increase Weekday Service
by 23%, Adding More Connections
To accommodate the evolving needs of today’s transit users, Southern California’s regional passenger rail provider, Metrolink, is significantly expanding weekday service and introducing more midday options. Beginning Monday, Oct. 21, 32 new weekday trains – accounting for a nearly 23% increase – will provide customers greater flexibility, making public transportation more accessible and convenient for those who may not have considered using the service previously. The new schedule is part of a larger transformation Metrolink CEO Darren Kettle has dubbed “Metrolink Reimagined.”
“The pandemic didn’t just change how and where people work,” Kettle said. “It changed how they travel and interact with transit systems. To ensure Metrolink remains a valuable resource for the communities we serve, we are reimagining our role within our region’s broader transportation landscape. We’ll still be here for daily 9-to-5 commuters, but we’re expanding our model to better accommodate a diverse range of customers, including tourists and daytrippers, students and workers with nontraditional schedules.”
Last October, Metrolink introduced a similar service expansion on the Antelope Valley (AV) Line, which coincided with the launch of the free Student Adventure Pass. With student ridership data excluded, the additional AV Line service generated a 7% annual ridership growth between August 2023 and August 2024. The upcoming schedule change represents the next step in Metrolink’s ongoing transition from a conventional commuter service to a robust regional passenger rail provider.
“Customers and community members have been asking for more frequent trains, midday options and better connections, and we are listening,” Metrolink Board Chair and City of Highland Mayor Pro Tem Larry McCallon said. “The new schedule will allow Metrolink to reach beyond the traditional, Monday-through-Friday commuter windows and deliver a service that appeals to even more Southern Californians.”
In addition to diversifying the travel options available to customers, Metrolink’s new service model will optimize connections across the system, reducing wait times for most passengers transferring from one line to another and facilitating greater mobility between counties. The number of connections available throughout the day is increasing by more than 300%, and most customers will experience wait times of between 10 to 20 minutes. These operational efficiencies will allow Metrolink to utilize fewer train sets to run more trains.
Metrolink’s Orange County, San Bernardino and Inland Empire-Orange County (IEOC) lines will see the most significant changes. Beyond the added trains, many existing Metrolink routes have been shifted slightly earlier or later to more effectively offer service throughout the day. The new schedule will not affect Amtrak Pacific Surfliner codeshare trains between Los Angeles and Ventura, though offerings will better complement available codeshare options.
The full schedule is available at metrolinktrains.com/scheduleupdate.
About Metrolink (metrolinktrains.com)
Metrolink regional passenger rail service offers reliable, safe, affordable, and environmentally sustainable transportation throughout an interconnected six-county network. Metrolink has 545.6 total service line miles and 67 stations across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, and San Diego counties, connecting people, communities, and businesses and serving as an essential link in the region’s mobility landscape. Metrolink also operates the Arrow service, a nine-mile extension of the San Bernardino County Line linking the cities of San Bernardino and Redlands.
Improving Mobility with Alternative Travel Options
The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is developing a plan that will provide recommendations that shift away from driving alone and expand access to alternative travel options. Potential strategies include carpooling, telecommuting, bikeshare, mobile trip planning apps, and more. In Summer 2023, your recommendations helped OCTA identify potential strategies that are most supportive of alternative transportation modes across the county. OCTA wants to hear your ideas on the transportation solutions you want to see in your community.
Here is how to get involved:
Attend the Zoom Webinar
Wednesday September 18th, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. Register here!
Participate in the Online Survey
Take the survey by October 13 for a chance to win one of two $50 prize cards!
For more information about the plan, visit octa.net/TDM.
The Ventura County Transportation Commission and Valley Express Bus & Dial-a-Ride Have Launched a New Bus Route Connecting the Cities of Fillmore and Moorpark. The service began Aug. 1. Credit: Photo courtesy of Ventura County Transportation Commission
VCTC, Valley Express Launch New Fillmore-Moorpark Bus Route
A new bus route is making it easier for Heritage Valley residents to travel between Fillmore and Moorpark and connect to other public transit in Ventura County.
The Fillmore-Moorpark Route, which began service Aug. 1, provides a direct, one-seat ride between the two cities using the Highway 23/Grimes Canyon corridor. Valley Express Bus & Dial-A-Ride and the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) are providing the service.
The fixed-route service begins at the Fillmore Terminal in Fillmore then proceeds to Moorpark. It makes stops at the Moorpark Metrolink station, the Moorpark Marketplace shopping center and Moorpark College. The route connects to eight existing bus routes, including those provided by Valley Express, VCTC, City of Simi Valley Transit and Moorpark City Transit. The new route also connects riders to Metrolink and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train service.
The route operates seven days a week, offering 10 trips on weekdays and five trips on weekends. Fare information, a schedule and map are available at valleyexpressbus.org/routes/Moorpark.
VCTC and Valley Express held a ribbon-cutting to kick off the new service Aug. 5 in Fillmore. Speakers included members of the VCTC board, Heritage Valley Policy Advisory Committee and city council members.
VCTC Executive Director Martin Erickson said community members have often requested a bus route connecting Fillmore and Moorpark.
“Feedback from riders is an important part of our transit planning process, and we are pleased to be able to offer a new service that directly meets the needs of the community,” Erickson said.
About Valley Express and VCTC
Valley Express operates fixed route, ADA-paratransit, and general public dial-a-ride throughout the Heritage Valley. The service is provided by a cooperative agreement between the cities of Fillmore, Santa Paula, the County of Ventura, and the Ventura County Transportation Commission. It is managed and administered by VCTC. Program information is available at valleyexpressbus.org.
The Ventura County Transportation Commission is the regional transportation planning agency. Program information is available at goventura.org.