138 BILL MAY SPEED ROAD CONSTRUCTION.Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer SACRAMENTO - Legislation originally aimed at expediting environmental reviews for Highway 138 is being retooled to call for expedited state environmental reviews for all highway construction projects. Assembly Bill 2180, authored by Assemblyman as·sem·bly·man n. A man who is a member of a legislative assembly. assemblyman Noun pl -men a member of a legislative assembly Noun 1. Phil Wyman, R-Tehachapi, as originally written would have required the state Department of Transportation to coordinate its actions so state and federal environmental reviews run concurrently for Highway 138. It will be rewritten to address streamlining state reviews for all highway projects, officials said Tuesday. ``Now it will be a statewide bill inspired by Highway 138,'' said Wyman spokesman David Foy. The move is being made for two reasons, officials said. Efforts are already under way by state and federal transportation officials to coordinate environmental reviews for California California (kăl'ĭfôr`nyə), most populous state in the United States, located in the Far West; bordered by Oregon (N), Nevada and, across the Colorado River, Arizona (E), Mexico (S), and the Pacific Ocean (W). highway projects, and Democrat members of the Transportation Committee voiced concerns about a bill written specifically for one highway project. The retooled AB 2180 is expected to be heard in the Assembly Transportation Committee on Monday. A Legislative Analyst's Office review of the original bill questioned whether AB 2180 was necessary. A federal law, known as the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century
The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) was enacted June 9, 1998, as Public Law 105-178. , establishes a coordinated environmental review process so all permits, licenses or approvals that must be made by a federal agency for a project are conducted concurrently. That law also provides for participation by state agencies. In addition, last summer Caltrans and the U.S. Department of Transportation began work on proposals to expedite ex·pe·dite tr.v. ex·pe·dit·ed, ex·pe·dit·ing, ex·pe·dites 1. To speed up the progress of; accelerate. 2. environmental reviews. The proposal includes setting specific deadlines for federal review of environmental documents, developing a tracking system for environmental documents, and establishing a Caltrans environmental document quality assurance program to ensure that documents intended for federal agencies meet minimum standards before they are submitted for review. In addition to AB 2180, Wyman authored AB 2232 that would provide $109 million to bridge the funding gap in the $184 million project to widen wid·en tr. & intr.v. wid·ened, wid·en·ing, wid·ens To make or become wide or wider. wid  en·er n. Highway 138 from two lanes to four lanes from Palmdale to the
Cajon Pass At an elevation of 1,277 meters (4,190 ft.) the Cajon Pass (IPA: [kə'hoʊn 'pæs]) is a moderate-elevation mountain pass between the San Bernardino Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California in the United States. . It is due to be heard next month by lawmakers in Sacramento.
The bill will also direct the state Department of Transportation to immediately work on the twin bridges Twin Bridges may mean:
Dubbed dub 1 tr.v. dubbed, dub·bing, dubs 1. To tap lightly on the shoulder by way of conferring knighthood. 2. To honor with a new title or description. 3. ``blood alley'' by Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley residents, Highway 138 had what a state study concluded was a higher-than-average number of fatal crashes over a five-year period. The crashes were attributed to the highway's rolling profile and lack of passing opportunities for motorists. Widening of the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County portion of Highway 138 is considered the top transportation priority by Antelope Valley officials. As an interim effort to provide relief, Caltrans plans to spend approximately $54 million to add about six miles of passing lanes and turn lanes on certain segments of the highway. CAPTION(S): map Map: HIGHWAY PLANS Antelope Valley leaders want to widen Highway 138. Daily News |
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