Trade Corridors Improvement Fund: federal funds.

The Highway Safety, Traffic Reduction, Air Quality, and Port Security Bond Act of 2006 (Proposition 1B) created the Trade Corridors Improvement Fund (TCIF) and provided for allocation by the California Transportation Commission of $2 billion in bond funds for infrastructure improvements on highway and rail corridors that have a high volume of freight movement, and specified categories of projects eligible to receive these funds. Existing law continues the TCIF in existence in order to receive revenues from sources other than the bond act for these purposes. This bill would require revenues apportioned to the state from the National Highway Freight Program established by the federal Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act to be allocated for trade corridor improvement projects approved pursuant to these provisions. Existing law requires the commission, in determining projects eligible for funding, to consult various state freight and regional infrastructure and goods movement plans and the statewide port master plan. This bill would delete consideration of the State Air Resources Board's Sustainable Freight Strategy and the statewide port master plan and would instead include consideration of the applicable port master plan and, for the nonfederal funds, the California Sustainable Freight Action Plan when determining eligible projects for funding. The bill would also expand eligible projects to include rail landside access improvements, landside freight access improvements to airports, and certain capital and operational improvements. The bill would authorize the commission to revise the guidelines adopted in 2007 for the TCIF and would require the commission to allocate funds to projects pursuant to the guidelines, but would require the commission to allocate the above-referenced federal funds consistent with the original guidelines adopted in 2007, as specified.