The Transportation Agency for Monterey County is the local planning agency for the Monterey County region that programs and distributes state and federal money for local and regional transportation projects. The Transportation Agency is responsible for distributing money for public transit, rail, local street and road maintenance, highway, bicycle and pedestrian facilities. In total, the Transportation Agency distributes between $20 and $30 million per year for transportation.

Integrated Funding Strategy

With the passage of California Senate Bill 1 (Beall), several new transportation funding programs were created from which the transportation agency will potentially be able to leverage Measure X and other existing fund sources.

To ensure coordination between the various fund sources, which all have different requirements and eligibility, the Transportation Agency for Monterey County prepared the 2023 Integrated Funding Strategy.

State Transportation Improvement Program

The State Transportation Improvement Program is a statewide five-year program of state highway and local transportation projects, funded with revenues from state and federal funding sources for capital improvements. These funds can be used for a wide variety of transportation projects including local road rehabilitation, road widening/capacity, intersection improvements, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, public transit, passenger rail, and other projects that enhance the region’s transportation infrastructure.  The Transportation Agency programs Monterey County’s share of State Transportation Improvement Program funds in the Regional Transportation Improvement Program (RTIP). The RTIP is adopted by the Transportation Agency every two years for inclusion in the statewide program. The Transportation Agency’s final 2022 RTIP was submitted to the California Transportation Commission (CTC) in December 2021.

Regional Surface Transportation Program

The Regional Surface Transportation Program was established by the State of California to utilize federal Surface Transportation Program funds for a wide variety of transportation projects. The State allows the Transportation Agency to exchange these federal funds for state funds to maximize the ability of local public works departments to use the funds on a wide variety of projects including bicyle and pedestrian projects, local roads, and transit. The Transportation Agency for Monterey County has the responsibility for distributing these exchanged funds to the local jurisdictions. The exchanged funds are distributed on a fair share and competitive basis. Annual apportionments of Regional Surface Transportation Program funds range from $3 to $4 million. The next Competitive Grants call for projects is Spring 2026.

2023 Competitive Grants Cycle

2023 RSTP Guidelines & Grant Application (MS Word)

2023 RSTP Competitive Grant Program of Projects

2020 Competitive Grants Cycle

2017 Competitive Grants Cycle

2014 Competitive Grants Cycle

Transportation Development Act

The Transportation Development Act provides for two sources of funding: Local Transportation Funds and State Transit Assistance. The program was established for the purpose of providing funding for public transit in California. These funds are considered local funds and are used for public transit operations and capital upgrades. Transportation Development Act funds are derived from a ¼ cent general sales tax collected by the State and returned to Monterey County. Annual apportionments average around $12,000,000.

Local Transportation Funds can be used for the following purposes: planning, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, rail passenger service, public transit, special group transportation service, local streets and roads, and administration. In Monterey County, all Local Transportation Funds are allocated to Monterey-Salinas Transit.

Department of Motor Vehicles

The Department of Motor Vehicles fees are used for the implementation and maintenance of the emergency call box program. These funds are also used to fund the Freeway Service Patrol. The Department of Motor Vehicles collects a fee of $1 per registered vehicle in Monterey County to provide funds for the call box and Freeway Service Patrol Program. Annual revenues of Department of Motor Vehicles fees average around $325,000.