Construction at the Monterey Regional Airport entrance will begin Monday and is expected to last about 18 weeks. Part of the revised roadway circulation for the replacement terminal, the roundabout project will prioritize worker and motorist safety and aims for minimal impacts to the driving public utilizing the Monterey airport and other roadways located adjacent to the Monterey Regional Airport.

The work on the roadway will occur in three phases on weekdays between 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Phase one will involve underground utility work beginning Monday through about April 10.

Phase two consists of roadway construction on the east side of Olmstead Road and will happen from about April 13 – May 22.

Phase three will see the construction of the roadway on the west side of Olmstead Road and will include Garden Road which runs adjacent to the roundabout. Work is scheduled from about May 26 – July 31.

While the roundabout is being constructed, crews are committed to keeping traffic lanes open ensuring the roadways’ intersection remains open at all times, and causing minimal to no delays for passengers, employees, ground transportation providers and other airport users. Crews will also work to ensure that access to residential and commercial driveways in the vicinity of the project will be maintained through the construction schedule.

Parking along the first 500 feet of Garden Road west of Olmsted Road will not be permitted.

The public may observe construction vehicles and signage during the project. Flagger personnel will regulate and direct traffic on Highway 68, Olmsted Road, Garden Road, and Fred Kane Drive during all active construction periods.

Motorists are asked to comply with directional information from flaggers, roadway signage and markings to ensure safety for motorists, and construction personnel safety.

Upon completion of construction, travelers and other airport users will use the roundabout to access the existing passenger terminal and airport parking. When the replacement passenger terminal becomes operational, which is anticipated in early summer 2027, the roundabout will also connect to the new roadway that supports the new facility and adjacent parking facilities.

The replacement passenger terminal is one project of many in the more than $200 million Monterey Regional Airport Metamorphosis Safety Enhancement Program, which is a Federal Aviation Administration requirement to enhance safety at the airport. The program is made possible through multiple and significant federal grants.

Other projects in the program include, a state-of-the-art Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Station which opened in 2023, new general aviation hangars on the airport’s north side, completed in 2023, and the future relocation of Taxiway A, the final phase of the MRY Metamorphosis SEP.

The long-term parking lot has already been relocated for the $98 million new replacement passenger terminal that, when completed, will boast nearly 63,000 square feet of public space to serve the more than 600,000 passengers annually who currently move through the Monterey airport. The new facility will be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certified, have five passenger boarding bridges, eight commercial aircraft parking spaces and offer 440 public parking spaces. The new terminal is expected to deliver a modern, accessible and efficient travel experience once the terminal is open.

Public comments and questions regarding the roundabout project can be sent to montereyairport.com/contact.

The airport served 659,867 departing and arriving passengers last year, a 6.3% increase over the previous year and the most travelers served annually in the airport’s history. The increased passenger activity is due to more seats as airlines operated larger aircraft and additional flights in response to demand for travel to and from the Monterey region. The airport’s previous record was 637,903 passengers served in 1978.

Monterey Regional Airport Executive Director Chris Morello said that the airport’s strong performance is a result of airlines recognizing the Monterey area as an economic engine and a desirable destination by investing people, airplanes and other resources here.

The Monterey Regional Airport expects to serve even more passengers in 2026. Long-time partner United Airlines will launch nonstop flights between Chicago O’Hare International Airport and the Monterey airport on May 23. United will operate Boeing 737-800 aircraft on the route and expects to increase frequency as demand continues to build.

United Airlines will also increase passenger seats to Los Angeles International Airport and Denver International Airport, both currently served routes, in April and May respectively.

Upgrading to Boeing 737-800s from Embraer 175 aircraft, United will add approximately 90 more daily outbound and inbound seats on each route. This is the first time in 25 years mainline United Airlines aircraft will operate out of Monterey, rather than their regional partners.

Beyond marking a new passengers-served record in 2025, launching a new nonstop route and adding passenger seats to existing markets in 2026, the Monterey airport received a favorable rating for short-term terminal revenue financing.

Monterey Regional Airport’s record passenger levels in 2025 contributed to a ‘A-/A-2’ dual rating with a stable outlook from S&P Global Ratings. The Monterey Peninsula Airports District secured a $50 million short-term revenue loan in February to fund the MRY Metamorphosis Safety Enhancement Program, which includes the 63,000-square-foot replacement passenger terminal currently under construction.

In its report, S&P highlighted that Monterey Regional Airport’s good base level of air travel demand given a strong origin and destination base, which is supported by the Monterey region as a tourism destination and favorable economics. The report also highlighted Monterey airport’s conservative budgeting practices, financial targets and rates adjusted by ordinance that allow the airport to maintain good financial metrics.

It is the first time the Monterey Regional Airport has been issued a public rating.

Passenger-facing Safety Enhancement Program projects continue to progress, with the replacement terminal anticipated to open in early summer 2027. Monterey Regional Airport was recognized by the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure for its intentional approach to sustainability for the commercial aircraft apron, which is located adjacent to the replacement terminal and was completed in the fall.

The Monterey airport earned an Envision Verified rating for project design, planning and construction, including diverting 99.51% of construction waste from the landfill, an innovative approach to carbon capture using CO2 during the concrete curing period to minimize greenhouse gas emissions and protecting sensitive plant species during construction through an erosion control plan.

The Monterey Peninsula Airport District will mark 85 years as a special district authority on March 22 marking the date when the district was established by Senate Bill 1300 in 1941. The milestone will be recognized by the airport throughout the year during employee and public-focused celebrations.

Monterey Regional Airport is a nearly 500-acre non-hub commercial service airport accessed by four major airlines — Alaska, Allegiant, American and United — offering direct flights to several destinations. The airport also has two full-service fixed-base operators — Del Monte Aviation and Monterey Jet Center. The Monterey airport has 211 hangars and tie downs, and 55 business tenants.

Travelers can currently fly direct on Alaska Airlines to Seattle and San Diego, Allegiant to Las Vegas, American Airlines to Dallas/Fort Worth and Phoenix, and United Airlines to Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The Monterey airport also offers seasonal nonstop service to Burbank, Carlsbad and Orange County on JSX out of the Monterey Jet Center.

Carlton Drive is expected to remain closed between Highway 218 and Work Avenue through March due to impacts from recent storms. Emergency vehicles and residents of the south end of Carlton will have access to their residences via Quendale Avenue or Highland Street.

The Canyon Del Rey Segment is a 1.5-mile portion of the FORTAG project and is the first leg of what is envisioned as an approximately 28-mile continuous 12-foot-wide paved bicycle and pedestrian trail with an open-space buffer on both sides. This first portion is being constructed to run from the intersection of North Fremont and Canyon Del Rey boulevards in Del Rey Oaks through Work Memorial and Del Rey parks, under Highway 218 — via a new roadway bridge being constructed to carry vehicles using the highway — and into the corner of the Frog Pond Wetland Preserve, back up to Highway 218 at Carlton Drive and on to Plumas Avenue, where it ends at Del Rey Woods Elementary School in Seaside.

Once the bridge on Canyon Del Rey Boulevard — Highway 218 — is built, it will enable hikers, cyclists and pedestrians to move freely under the highway through a 10.5-foot-high passageway connecting the parks to the preserve.

Construction of the Canyon Del Rey Segment of the FORTAG Project is being done in phases and different areas of the project will be affected at different times. As the project moves forward, residents and businesses will be provided additional notifications in advance of bridge foundation work — pile driving — and work that restricts driveway access. Construction of the FORTAG project through Del Rey Oaks is expected to last through the fall.

Work hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. No pile driving will occur at night. The contractor’s plan is to limit the majority of work between 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Access to Work Memorial Park, the Butterfly Garden and tennis courts will be restricted during construction. The Frog Pond Wetland Preserve is closed for the remainder of stage one construction and is expected to reopen in August.

The Fort Ord Regional Trail and Greenway is part of a larger effort to connect communities in and around the former Fort Ord to each other and to education, employment, community and recreation centers. FORTAG is a proposed new paved regional active transportation route that will serve as a safe pedestrian and bicycle corridor connecting Seaside, Marina, Del Rey Oaks, Monterey and unincorporated community residents to Cal State Monterey Bay, the Fort Ord National Monument and the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail. FORTAG will connect to the existing Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail and will provide connections to unpaved trails in the Fort Ord National Monument. The route includes spurs connecting with existing and planned bike/pedestrian infrastructure. Several sections of the paved trail will link to nearby unpaved trails.

In March 2024, the Transportation Agency for Monterey County, the lead agency on the project, signed a contract with Graniterock Company for $17,994,608 for construction of the Canyon Del Rey Segment of the Fort Ord Regional Trail and Greenway project, according to TAMC documents.

The TAMC Board approved the use of State and Measure X funds budgeted for the project in the not-to-exceed amount of $17.9 million and a $2.7 million contingency fund for unforeseen circumstances. It also authorized the executive director to take such other future actions as may be necessary to fulfill the intent of the contract, including approvals of future modifications or amendments that do not significantly alter the scope of work, or change the approved contract amount or term.

Funding sources include a State Active Transportation Program grant of $9,181,000, and $11,513,608 from Measure X, the vehicle created to fund transportation safety and mobility projects in Monterey County that was approved by 67.7% of voters in November 2016.

For information about the FORTAG project or to sign up for updates, visit https://www.tamcmonterey.org/fort-ord-regional-trail-greenway-canyon-del-rey or email 79829@publicinput.com.

The ability of federal safety regulators to oversee airplane maintenance at United Airlines has been hindered by inadequate staffing, high employee turnover and the improper use of virtual inspections instead of on-site reviews in some cases, according to a government watchdog audit released Friday.

The U.S. Transportation Department’s inspector general said the Federal Aviation Administration lacks sufficient staffing and workforce planning to effectively monitor United’s large fleet. Past audits by the government watchdog also highlighted FAA challenges overseeing other airline maintenance programs, including at American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Allegiant Air.

The FAA declined to comment on the findings but referred The Associated Press to a letter it sent the inspector general’s office that was included in the audit report. In it, the FAA said it agreed with most of the recommendations and was taking steps to address them by the end of the year.

“FAA will implement a more systemic approach to strengthen inspector capacity and will take other measures to ensure that staffing levels remain sufficient to meet surveillance requirements,” the letter said.

The recommendations included a reevaluation of staffing rules, an independent workplace survey of inspector workloads and office culture, and improved training on accessing and using United’s safety data — a current gap that the report said currently keeps inspectors from fully evaluating maintenance issues and safety risk trends.

In a statement to AP, United said it works closely with the FAA on a daily basis in addition to employing its own internal safety management system.

“United has long advocated in favor of providing the FAA with the resources it needs for its important work,” the carrier said.

The inspector general’s office said the audit was conducted between May 2024 and December 2025, amid a series of maintenance-linked incidents at United.

It found that the FAA sometimes had its personnel conduct inspections “virtually” when it lacked staffing or funding for travel even though agency policy requires postponing reviews that can’t be done on site. Doing the work remotely can create safety risks because inspectors may miss or misidentify maintenance problems, the reported stated.

“Inspectors we spoke with stated that their front-line managers instructed them to perform inspections virtually rather than postponing inspections,” the report said.

The audit also found that ongoing staffing shortages at the FAA inspection offices tasked with United’s oversight have resulted in fewer inspections being conducted, limited surveillance of the carrier’s maintenance operations and an “overall loss of institutional knowledge.”

In March 2024, passengers had to be evacuated from a United plane that rolled off a runway after landing in Houston. The next day, a United jetliner bound for Japan lost a tire while taking off from San Francisco but later landed safely in Los Angeles.

In December 2025, a United flight experienced an engine failure during takeoff from Dulles International Airport before safely returning to the airport.

Associated Press writer Josh Funk contributed.

Clearing of the catchment area will permit debris to accumulate during future weather events allowing the roadway to remain open.

Electronic message signs on the approach to Regent’s will caution travelers to reduce their speeds in the event that any silt on the road combines with overnight moisture.

BIG SUR – With a series of storms continuing to slam the Central Coast the last few days, Caltrans reports that a 6.8-mile segment of Highway 1 along the Big Sur coast that was closed earlier this week near Regent’s Slide, has reopened.

The closure of the highway, from two miles north of Lucia, to one mile south of the Esalen Institute, was due to ongoing debris cleanup as a result of winter storms.

The slope above the roadway at Regent’s Slide remains stable, according to Caltrans, however, the catchment area at the base of the slope was filled with debris that eroded during recent rains. This erosion activity is an expected outcome following recent slide repairs and will continue as the slope seasons over time.

Debris in the catchment area had spilled over the concrete barriers on the northbound shoulder, allowing debris and rocks to travel directly on to the highway.

Crews began to clear debris from the catchment area during breaks in the rain. This cleanup effort is dependent on weather and site conditions. Updates will be provided as work progresses.

On Feb. 9, 2024, Regent’s Slide, originating about 450 feet above the roadway, closed Highway 1 in Monterey County. For nearly two years, Caltrans slowly and methodically repaired the site with the goal of safely reopening the roadway.

In early January, storms brought the first rainfall to the lower slope at Regent’s Slide – about 40 miles south of Carmel. Recently-installed and secured mesh drapery on the slope above the roadway, designed to protect the traveling public from rockfall once the road reopened, performed its intended function by effectively slowing the movement of rock and debris down the slope.

In the months leading up to the reopening of Highway 1, crews at Regent’s Slide made cuts in the slope and removed debris material. That made it possible for climbing crews on the slope above the roadway to secure the mesh netting. Data from measuring instruments indicated that since the installation of more than 4,500 shear dowels was completed in the fall, no significant slide movement had been detected.

The primary function of shear dowels is to reinforce the slope by increasing its internal shear strength. By anchoring the unstable soil layers to more stable underlying materials, they help resist the forces that can cause landslides. This method is particularly effective in areas where traditional excavation or grading is not feasible due to environmental concerns or terrain challenges.

On Jan. 14, 2026, the stretch of Highway 1 closed by Regent’s Slide reopened, restoring full travel access along the Big Sur coast, from Carmel to Cambria, and reviving a vital economic lifeline for local business owners and residents affected by the closure.

Going forward, travelers on Highway 1 at Regent’s Slide and other locations may encounter occasional full closures while crews remove debris following seasonal weather events and intermittent delays due to ongoing construction.

Road information and updates can also be found on Caltrans District 5 Social Media platforms: Twitter at: CaltransD5, Facebook at: Caltrans Central Coast (District 5) and Instagram at: Caltrans_D5.

The California Transportation Commission, responsible for programming and allocating funds for the construction of highway, passenger rail, transit and active transportation improvements throughout California, administers the Active Transportation Program which was created to encourage increased use of active modes of transportation, such as walking and biking.

“These awards demonstrate what we can accomplish when local communities, schools, and regional partners work together, and when we use Measure X to show the state that Monterey County is ready to deliver transformative, people-centered transportation projects,” said TAMC Executive Director Todd Muck in a press release.

Funding from the California Transportation Commission are for the following projects and programs.

Seaside

The California Transportation Commission awarded $9.4 million for the Broadway Avenue Complete Street Corridor Project to construct a 1.3-mile road diet on Broadway Avenue and Safe Routes to School improvements on Yosemite Avenue. The improvements include installing bicycle facilities, roundabouts, sidewalk, curb ramps, bulbouts and beacon and lighting along Broadway Avenue to create a safer and more comfortable environment while walking and biking.

An additional $1 million was awarded for public engagement and educational programs at Martin Luther King Jr. School of the Arts, Highland Elementary School and various affordable housing along the corridor to increase safe bicycling and walking for all ages and abilities in the city.

Marina

The Transportation Agency for Monterey County was awarded $980,000 for the California Avenue Segment of the Fort Ord Regional Trail and Greenway to provide extensive traffic safety education for students, families and seniors near Marina Vista Elementary School, Los Arboles Middle School and various senior housing locations in Marina. The funding will be used to provide extensive traffic safety education geared towards students, families and seniors that will be needed to ensure the trail is accessed safely.

Salinas

$1.5 million was awarded for safety education in coordination with the Harden Parkway Path and Safe Routes to School Project. The funding includes traffic safety education for 2nd to 5th grade students at Natividad Elementary School and students at Harden Middle School, North Salinas High School and various senior housing and businesses in North Salinas. Education will include in-class presentations and hands-on experience practicing safe walking and bicycling. North Salinas High School students will be recruited to help develop sidewalk art marking safe routes to school and be asked to create a safety and/or active transportation campaign for their peers.

The goals of the Active Transportation Program include increasing the proportion of trips accomplished by walking and biking, increasing the safety and mobility of non-motorized users, advancing efforts of regional agencies to achieve greenhouse gas reduction goals, enhancing public health and providing a broad spectrum of projects to benefit many types of users including disadvantaged communities.

The Transportation Agency for Monterey County says its strong partnerships with the jurisdictions in Monterey County are reflected in this latest round of California Transportation Commission awards, which fund projects that build safer streets, expand educational outreach and strengthen community-based active transportation programs. These investments complement TAMC’s long-standing Safe Routes to Schools Program, which provides traffic safety education and hands-on training for students, families and seniors across the county.

Leveraging Measure X has been critical to securing these competitive state funds, enabling the Transportation Agency for Monterey County and its partner jurisdictions to bring forward well-developed, locally supported projects with matching resources that increase competitiveness and deliver greater safety benefits for residents, according to TAMC.

Measure X was the ballot initiative placed before voters in November 2016 that was approved by 67.7%. It is estimated to generate $20 million annually for a total of $600 million over 30 years through a retail transaction and use tax of three-eights’ of one-percent. The revenue from the sales tax measure is to be used to fund transportation safety and mobility projects in Monterey County.

Key senators and the families of the 67 dead in an airliner collision with an Army helicopter near the nation’s capital are convinced that advanced aircraft locator systems recommended by experts for nearly two decades would have prevented last year’s tragedy. But it remains unclear if Congress will pass a bill requiring every plane and helicopter to use them around every busy airport.

The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing Thursday to highlight why the National Transportation Safety Board has been recommending since 2008 that all aircraft be equipped with one system that can broadcast their locations and another one to receive data about the location of other aircraft. Only the system that broadcasts location is currently required. The hearing reviewed all 50 of the NTSB’s recommendations to prevent another midair collision like that of Jan. 29, 2025.

Everyone aboard the helicopter and the American Airlines jet flying from Wichita, Kansas, including 28 members of the figure skating community, died when the aircraft collided and plummeted into the icy Potomac River.

The Senate already unanimously approved the bill that would require all aircraft flying around busy airports to have both kinds of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast systems installed. However, leaders of the key House committees seem to want to craft their own comprehensive bill addressing all the NTSB recommendations instead of immediately passing what’s known as the ROTOR act. The ADS-B Out systems continually broadcast an aircraft’s location and speed and have been required since 2020. But ADS-B In systems that can receive those signals and create a display showing pilots where all air traffic is located around them are not standard.

Facing headwinds in the House

Commerce Committee Chairman Sen. Ted Cruz said he’s concerned some people are talking about possibly adding loopholes to the bill that would exempt regional airlines and private jets from the mandate. The Texas Republican said that would undermine the effort, and doesn’t make sense given the plane involved in this collision was flown by a regional airline.

“Flying can only be safe when everyone follows the same standards,” Cruz said. He said that he hopes the House will vote on the bill in the next two weeks to send it to the president’s desk.

But Rep. Sam Graves, who leads the House Transportation Committee, said Thursday he doesn’t plan to consider the Senate bill.

“We’re going to do our own bill,” Graves said.

If the American Airlines jet and the helicopter had also been equipped with one of the ADS-B In systems that can receive location data, the NTSB and the victims’ families and key lawmakers say, the pilots may have been able to avoid the collision because they would have received nearly a minute of advanced warning.

The receiving systems would have provided more warning along with an indication of where the other aircraft was. But for that to work the helicopter’s ADS-B Out system that’s supposed to broadcast its location would have to be turned on and working correctly, which wasn’t the case on the night of the crash.

Tragedy could have been prevented

These locator systems are one of the measures that might have been able to overcome all the systemic problems and mistakes the NTSB identified in the disaster. That’s why this requirement was endorsed by NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy — the only witness called to the hearing — Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and all of the Senate. This is the 18th time the NTSB has recommended the technology.

“This seems like a no-brainer, right? Especially when this is not a new thing that they’re proposing,” said Amy Hunter, whose cousin Peter Livingston died on the flight with his wife and two young daughters.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth said the FAA also failed to act on warnings from its own controllers after a similar near miss in 2013 about the risks that helicopters pose around DCA (Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport), and an alarming number of near misses chronicled in the agency’s own data.

“FAA’s failure in the face of blaring alarm bells, screaming out that it was a matter of when — not if — one of the near misses at DCA would become a deadly tragedy is, unfortunately, emblematic of a chronic crisis that’s plagued FAA for years,” Duckworth said.

Afterward, the FAA made several changes including prohibiting helicopters from flying along the route where the crash happened whenever a plane is landing on DCA’s secondary runway and requiring all aircraft to use their ADS-B Out systems to broadcast their locations.

The crash anniversary and NTSB hearing on the causes of the crash have made recent weeks challenging for victims’ families. And now the Olympics are reminding Hunter and others that their loved ones — like young Everly and Alydia Livingston — will never have a chance to realize their dreams of competing for a gold medal.

Cost concerns for plane owners

The biggest stumbling block is cost. Upgrading some airline jets might cost hundreds of thousands of dollars or more, placing an expensive burden on some — especially regional airlines with tighter profit margins like the one that flew the jet that collided with the Army helicopter. Some also worry whether general aviation pilots could afford the upgrades. These systems haven’t even been designed and certified for some airline jets — particularly the CRJ models that were involved in this crash.

But some airlines have already begun to add the technology to their planes, partly because in addition to the safety benefits, the systems can help increase the number of planes that can fly into an airport by spacing them more precisely. American Airlines leads the industry, having added the technology to its Airbus A321s over the past several years, equipping more than 300 of its roughly 1,000 planes to date. Homendy said American officials told her the retrofits cost less than $50,000 per plane.

Any plane more than a decade old likely doesn’t have either of these systems installed. Most newer planes have at least an ADS-B Out system that broadcasts their location.

But roughly three quarters of the pilots of business jets and smaller single-engine Cessnas and Bonanzas use portable devices that only cost $400 dollars that can tap into this location data and display the information about nearby aircraft on an iPad. So it doesn’t appear the legislation would create a significant expense for them. Homendy held up one of the small receivers during her testimony to demonstrate how easy it is for pilots to get ADS-B In warnings.

Tim Lilley, a pilot himself, said having both these locator systems would have saved the life of his son Sam, who was copilot of the airliner, and everyone else who died. He said small plane owners have an affordable option, but even the expensive upgrades to large planes would be worth it.

“If those recommendations had been fully realized, this accident wouldn’t have happened,” Lilley said. “I don’t know what value we put on the human life, but 67 lives would still be here today.”

AP writer Stephen Groves contributed to this report from Washington D.C.

The SURF! Busway project is part of the larger vision of Monterey-Salinas Transit for connecting communities, reducing emissions and improving air quality. It is part of a larger effort to reduce regional congestion along Highway 1 and enhance transit connections within the Monterey Peninsula. The SURF! project is a proposed bus-only corridor in the Monterey Branch Line right-of-way, from Marina through Sand City and Seaside. The total length of the project is about 6 miles.

While the asphalt repaving is complete in the Palm Avenue area, final striping work is scheduled to be completed soon and is expected to be significantly less impactful to drivers and pedestrians.

MST says reaching this milestone brings it one step closer to delivering the SURF! Busway and Bus Rapid Transit Project’s vision of improved transit connections between Salinas Valley and the Monterey Peninsula.

The SURF! Project is currently seeing construction on the 5-mile busway portion that began in April 2025 and will continue through spring 2028.

The 5-mile busway — a road for buses only — will run parallel to Highway 1 on the old rail lines, from Marina to Sand City and Seaside. This is where buses will bypass traffic congestion.

The rail line linked Monterey and San Francisco with passenger service from 1880 to 1971.

In 2003, Transportation Agency for Monterey County purchased the Monterey Branch Line from Union Pacific Railroad for $9.3 million to preserve it as a transportation corridor for mass transportation purposes only with a grant from State Proposition 116 funds.

SURF! Busway and Bus Rapid Transit Project construction activities will take place within the Caltrans right-of-way along Highway 1, specifically between the Palm Avenue and Del Monte Boulevard intersection in Marina, through to Playa and California avenues in Sand City.

SURF! buses will travel the same routing as existing Line 20 between Salinas, Marina, Sand City, Seaside and Monterey, as well as at the new 5th Street Station in former Fort Ord.

The project also includes a new multimodal mobility hub near the Dunes On Monterey Bay development and Major General William H. Gourley VA DoD Outpatient Clinic in Marina, with a safe drop-off and pick-up area, public parking with EV charging and bicycle and mobility amenities including a bicycle repair station, as well as new transit stops serving Marina, Sand City and Seaside, and traffic signal upgrades and improvements in Marina, Sand City and Seaside for better traffic flow.

Riders will have a one-seat ride with connections throughout the Monterey Peninsula, Salinas and beyond.

Monterey-Salinas Transit estimates the construction cost of the SURF! Busway and Bus Rapid Transit Project at $68.7 million. Preconstruction costs are estimated to be $9.4 million. In total, MST estimates the total cost of the Project will be $78.1 million.

Grant funding restricted to the SURF! Project have been secured from the following federal, state, and local sources, Federal 5307 formula – $69,000, Federal Capital Investment Grant – $22,170,000, California SB 1 Local Partnership Program – $100,000, State Senator John Laird State Earmark (CA Assembly 178) – $2,500,000, State Transit & Intercity Rail Capital Program Grant – $25,000,000, Transportation Agency for Monterey County Measure X – $27,394,305, and MST Capital (General Fund) – $851,670, for a total of $78,084,975.

For more information about this project or how to get involved, contact Doug Bilse, Principal Engineer, at doug@tamcmonterey.org or (831) 775-4413.

CARMEL VALLEY – The Carmel Valley Road and Laureles Grade Roundabout project moves into the fourth of five stages this week and motorists can expect up to 30-minute delays due to construction activities, down from the 60-minute delays County of Monterey Public Works, Facilities and Parks previously stated.

The Carmel Valley Road and Laureles Grade Roundabout project involves replacing the existing one-way, stop-controlled “T” intersection at Carmel Valley Road and Laureles Grade with a roundabout.

The County of Monterey will be constructing stage four of the roundabout project this week on Wednesday and Thursday, though unanticipated rainfall may prompt delays. Work is set to occur from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Up to 30-minute traffic delays are expected during the early commute hours and motorists are encouraged to plan accordingly. Emergency responders will be afforded priority through the work zone when needed. During this time, flaggers will be used to direct traffic. Once complete, temporary traffic signals will direct traffic. County of Monterey Public Works, Facilities and Parks says it will make every effort to minimize the traffic disturbance and expeditiously move to the next phase of construction.

The project, located at the intersection of Carmel Valley Road and Laureles Grade, in the northwestern portion of Carmel Valley in unincorporated Monterey County, will improve vehicle safety and access at the intersection.

Construction of the Carmel Valley Road and Laureles Grade Roundabout project began late last June and is expected to be completed by this spring.

The project includes widening Laureles Grade and Carmel Valley Road at the east and northwest corners of the existing intersection; however, it will not add lanes or increase the intersection’s capacity. Medians will also be constructed on Carmel Valley Road to the northwest and southeast of the proposed roundabout, as well as on Laureles Grade to the northeast. Construction activities will include temporary traffic control measures, such as lane closures depending on the phase of construction. The County of Monterey will make every effort to keep the public updated on traffic impacts.

The total estimated project cost of $5.6 million includes engineering design, environmental permitting, right-of-way, utility relocation and construction, and is funded through the Carmel Valley Transportation Improvement Program, Measure X – the Transportation Agency for Monterey County’s Transportation Safety & Investment Plan approved by voters in November 2016 by a 67.7% majority, and a grant from the Monterey Bay Air Resources District.

Carmel Valley Road is a major east–west rural arterial road connecting Highway 1 near Carmel through Carmel Valley agricultural and residential areas, eventually linking with other county roads that provide access toward Greenfield in the Salinas Valley and Highway 101. It is known for its scenic rolling hills, vineyards and ranches. It is also know as the main route serving Carmel Valley as a community and its many destinations. The road is a county-maintained road, not a state highway, and has both two-lane and some four-lane sections, with most of the rural parts being two-lane.

Go to https://tinyurl.com/yeb2rwjc for updates on the Carmel Valley Road and Laureles Grade Roundabout project or contact Kyle Oyama, EIT, Project Manager II at 831-755-5090 or email him at Oyamak@countyofmonterey.gov.

The Monterey County Rail Extension project will extend passenger rail service from Santa Clara County south to Salinas in Monterey County. The project has already revitalized the downtown Salinas train station, completed in 2021, creating a new multimodal transportation hub there, as well as plans for similar hubs in the communities of Pajaro and Castroville.

The Transportation Agency for Monterey County, the lead agency on the project, says that these multimodal stations will be served by new passenger rail service and bus transit for the residents of Salinas and north Monterey County, Monterey Peninsula and Santa Cruz County, to access Silicon Valley, San Jose, the greater San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento. The 2024 California State Rail Plan includes the Monterey County Rail Extension Project in its near-term scenario.

Phase one of the overall Monterey County Rail Extension project was the Kick Start program, which focused on improving the existing Salinas train station to accommodate new passenger rail service connecting Salinas to the San Francisco Bay Area. The Kick Start project also includes phase two, a train layover facility in Salinas for Caltrain, and phase three, making track improvements at Gilroy as well as to its train station.

The current status of the project that will bring Caltrain past Gilroy, south to Salinas includes TAMC coordinating with Union Pacific Railroad on design reviews for the layover facility in Salinas and track improvements at Gilroy.

“Once UPRR’s design review gets advanced to the 90% level, TAMC will be empowered to initiate discussions with UPRR’s Real Estate division over what kind of agreement is needed for access to UPRR property in Salinas and Gilroy and for an operations and maintenance and a track rights agreement with UPRR,” explained Christina Watson, TAMC rail program planner. “Once we have those agreements, TAMC and Caltrans will work with Caltrain on an operations agreement to run trains from Gilroy to Salinas.”

The Coast Mainline is the railroad that links Burbank in Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area, traveling roughly along the Pacific Coast, and owned by Union Pacific Railroad which must approve all aspects of the project.

Since January 2025, the UPRR design reviews for the layover facility have progressed and are currently entering the 30% stage.

The Caltrain layover facility in Salinas will be situated west of the Intermodal Transportation Center at the end of New Street less than a half-mile from the train station, located at the corner of N. Main and West Market streets, and will consist of a crew base building for operating personnel that includes lockers, restrooms, a shared office space and other relevant facilities, but will not include sleeping quarters.

The layover facility would connect to the Coast Mainline, the Union Pacific Railroad tracks which are used by Union Pacific Railroad freight trains and by Amtrak’s Coast Starlight rail cars.

The plan to construct a train crew base building, storage shed, fencing and lighting, will also include a new platform that extends to the train station and which would be used by passengers boarding Caltrain.

“TAMC has acquired all of the land required for the project, with the exception of the rights to access UPRR-owned property,” said Watson. “Only UPRR-owned property access rights still remain to be negotiated. No further property acquisition is contemplated at this time.”

Watson said that pending resolution of rights to access UPRR-owned property, the Caltrain layover facility project could initiate construction as soon as the spring or summer of 2027.

As for phase three, Gilroy station and track improvements, Watson said the designs are resubmitting a 25% design package, pursuant to UPRR comments on the prior submittals for each package.

“UPRR is working on implementing a Positive Train Control crash prevention technology along the corridor, starting this year and completing work between Gilroy and San Luis Obispo by 2028,” said Watson.

The implementation of Positive Train Control infrastructure along about 172 miles of the UPRR Coast Subdivision is a federally funded safety project spanning five counties including Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Benito, Monterey and San Luis Obispo.

The three phases of the Monterey County Rail Extension project have an estimated total cost of about $81.5 million.