CalTrans Innovation Winner: 360 Tours

COMMUNITY NEWS

CalTrans Innovation Winner: 360 Tours

State department of transportation projects in California, Alaska, Idaho, Texas, and Washington earned regional recognition in the 2022 America’s Transportation Awards competition.

“State DOTs are overwhelmingly focused on innovative solutions to address the transportation issues of today and tomorrow, meeting challenges involving climate change, equity, resiliency, and safety,” said Jim Tymon, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, which sponsors the competition. “The America’s Transportation Awards program shows just how they’re doing that.”

The five states emerged as winners in the Western region, where 12 states nominated 22 projects.

Nominations are in one of three categories: Operations Excellence, Best Use of Technology & Innovation, and Quality of Life/Community Development.

They compete against projects of their own size: “Small” (up to $25 million), “Medium” (between $25 million and $200 million), and “Large” (more than $200 million).

Caltrans was a winner in the Small category for Best Use of Technology.

Caltrans found a new way to connect with customers on current and upcoming projects through a $250,000 public engagement tool.

During the pandemic, Caltrans strategies for engaging with internal and external stakeholders changed dramatically. With limited opportunities for face-to-face meetings, the department found it challenging to communicate its intent on numerous issues.

Caltrans’ 360 Tours addressed that problem, while taking public engagement to the next level. The agency’s interactive, web-based interface allows stakeholders to explore a construction project using virtual reality.

The system works without specialized software or skills.

Visitors to the website can “zoom in” to areas of interest and view simulations of impacts like sea-level rise on existing or future roadways. Demonstrating these things visually opens up the process for non-English speaking users, creating more equitable engagement.

The three highest-scoring projects from each regional competition earn a place on a “Top 12” list of projects that will compete for the national grand prize – selected by an independent panel of industry judges – and the People’s Choice Award, chosen by the public through online voting. Those top national winners each receive $10,000 cash awards to be donated to a charity or scholarship of the state DOT’s choosing.

The 12 finalists will be announced and online voting for the People’s Choice Award will begin in September. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials will reveal winners for the People’s Choice Award and the grand prize in October at its annual meeting in Orlando. n

See https://americastransportationawards.

org/

“Tax Credits” from page 19 • Calvary Church/Cedar St. in Santa

Cruz, 65 apartments (Pacific Housing,

Inc.) • Pacific Station South in Santa Cruz, 70 apartments (For the Future Housing,

Inc.)

In 2020, 22 California counties were ravaged by wildfires -- Santa Cruz County lost more than 900 homes in its unincorporated area due to the CZU Lightning Fire.

As part of the State’s recovery plan, the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee allocated more than $80 million in annual federal fire recovery tax credits to those counties, including $12 million to Santa Cruz County in 2021.

An additional $4 million was allocated this year which permitted the County’s entire shovel-ready affordable housing pipeline to leverage local investments and start construction, according too Housing Santa Cruz County.

“We lost a significant portion of the local housing stock due to the fires, so we needed these critical resources to support the construction of new housing, especially affordable housing” said Santa Cruz County Supervisor Ryan Coonerty. “This additional federal investment in affordable housing is of great help, and we’re thrilled to see new shovel-ready affordable housing developments break ground. I’m particularly happy to see the support for the two projects in the City of Santa Cruz’s downtown.”

“We thank the CTCAC Board for ensuring that these funds were allocated in the most effective way to help the counties that have been devastated,” said Housing Santa Cruz County Executive Board member Gretchen Regenhardt of Watsonville. “It’s wonderful to see apartment complexes break ground in Santa Cruz County and that dozens of families, many in South County, will soon have a safe, affordable place to call home.” n