A Quiet Revolution in California Transportation Planning and Finance

Abstract

Over the past century, surface transportation planning and programming gradually evolved from a largely ad hoc, locally funded affair to a highly formalized intergovernmental process, guided by both federal and state policy and supported mostly by fuel tax revenues. Over the past several decades, however, this carefully constructed federal-state partnership has been reverting back toward greater local decision-making, driven by an increasing reliance on local revenue sources. Researchers at the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies have been following these developments in California and across the nation.