California gas prices to rise under bill signed by governor
SACRAMENTO — California drivers will see gas prices jump in November and will pay more to register their vehicles come January after Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law Friday a tax hike of $5 billion per year to fix the state’s crumbling highways.
But drivers will have to wait months before crews begin repaving neglected roads with the fruits of their higher taxes.
State transportation officials have not begun the engineering work, environmental assessments and other necessary preparations before construction workers can begin tearing up pavement.
Brown and his legislative allies said the money was badly needed to fill potholes and repair rutted roads that lengthen commutes and damage vehicles.
“Safe and smooth roads make California a better place to live and strengthen our economy,” Brown said in a statement. “This legislation will put thousands of people to work.”
In the bill, SB1, the money is split roughly evenly between state highways and local roads.
Specific projects haven’t been determined, said Mark Dinger, a spokesman for Caltrans. The California Transportation Commission, appointed mostly by Brown, will prioritize projects for the funding, he said, and the first construction work will likely begin work in the summer of 2018.
A few projects are known, however, including an extension of a commuter rail line between the Central Valley and Silicon Valley, a parkway linking the University of California, Merced to a major state highway and highway expansion in Riverside County. Those projects were promised to undecided lawmakers to win their support for the legislation.
On Friday, Brown also signed the legislation authorizing those projects, SB132, and a bill by state Sen. Anthony Cannella to shield architects, engineers and land surveyors from liability in certain circumstances, SB 496.
Cannella was the only Republican in the Legislature who voted for the gas tax increase. He won funding for transportation projects in his Central Valley district as part of the deal.