Leaders go virtual in seeking funding for Lodi projects

Every spring, as many as 45 leaders at the city and county levels travel to Washington D.C. seeking federal funding for transportation projects throughout San Joaquin County as part of the One Voice coalition.

But due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the One Voice group, coordinated by the San Joaquin Council of Governments, will be seeking those federal funds for 20 projects virtually over the next two months.

“We’ll be able to tailor our presentations to highlight the themes that most interest individual members of Congress and the Biden administration,” SJCOG board chair Sol Jobrack said in a media statement Thursday.

“This will give us the greatest opportunity for success in securing the funding we need for future infrastructure and transportation projects,” he said. “It’s a bonus for us that the One Voice themes also align with the Biden administration’s infrastructure and transportation priorities.”

Each of SJCOG’s potential projects fall under at least one of five themes adopted its board of directors, be it environmental sustainability, trade corridors, innovation and technology, growth management, or social equity and mobility.

Three of the projects the One Voice delegation will be advocating for this year would benefit Lodi residents.

One of those is the interchange reconstruction at Highway 99 and Harney Lane, which consists of widening portions of both Harney and Cherokee lanes, as well as portions of the east Highway 99 Frontage Road; and installing traffic signals at the intersections at Harney and Cherokee lanes and Harney Lane and the frontage road.

Funding of $5.44 million is being requested by the City of Lodi for the project.

According to SJCOG, a contract for the project was awarded in 2010, and interim improvements were completed in 2012.

The interim improvements are expected to function at an acceptable level for several years, but they will not be by the time ultimate interchange improvements are ready for construction in 2030.

The project will link two regional expressway routes — Lower Sacramento Road and Harney Lane — to the freeway system at Highway 99, SJCOG said, and the combination of the expressway and interchange facilities will create a functional equivalent to a Highway 12 bypass.

That will improve existing operations on Highway 12 for at least another decade, the agency said.

City of Lodi is also asking for $44 million in funding for its Broadband Infrastructure Project, which would upgrade the city’s existing fiber backbone, and develop a publicprivate partnership with a broadband provider to bring new fiber connectivity to residential and business communities.

This new fiber backbone would reach nearly 10,000 homes and businesses within 1,500 feet of its line, creating an opportunity to build additional fiber into these areas with a lower cost structure than without the fiber backbone, SJCOG said.

More than 3,000 cities across the country operate some form of municipal fiber and have used it for decades to support communities, the agency said.

These networks are becoming increasingly important to cope with the rapid growth in connected devices, including utility assets, streetlights, traffic signals and surveillance cameras. Cities that maintain these networks are able to accommodate “Smart City” technologies that make them more efficient, reduce costs and increase the value they deliver to their constituents, according to SJCOG.

A third project not located in Lodi but would benefit its residents is the proposal to widen Lower Sacramento Road to four lanes south of Lodi.

The City of Stockton is seeking $35 million for the project, and will include the replacement of the two-lane bridges spanning Bear Creek and Pixley Slough, which were constructed in 1963 and 1940, respectively.

According to SJCOG, the project will eliminate vehicle delays, reduce vehicle emissions, and eliminate bottlenecks between Stockton and Lodi. It will also encourage alternate modes of transportation with the incorporation of sidewalks and bicycle lanes.

Acquiring the funding for all 20 projects and completing them will draw businesses to San Joaquin County that offer new job opportunities to residents, One Voice delegation members said in Thursday’s media release.

“As an organization that focuses on attracting, retaining and expanding business opportunities in San Joaquin County, we are dependent on a strong infrastructure, access to trade corridors, and quality-of-life features that allow businesses to attract and keep good employees,” San Joaquin Partnership president and CEO Bob Gutierrez said. “One Voice helps us to help businesses and residents prosper.”

While meetings in May and June will be virtual this year, the One Voice delegation plans to travel to the nation’s capitol in October to meet with lawmakers and administration officials in person.

To view a complete list of the projects One Voice will be seeking funding for, visit tinyurl.com/COGlist.