Member Profile

Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA)

Agency Type:

Congestion Management Agency

Responsibilities:

Sales Tax Authority

Overview:

The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) was formed by voters in 1988 to manage the county’s transportation sales tax program. CCTA is also the county’s designated Congestion Management Agency (CMA), responsible for putting programs in place to keep traffic levels manageable.

CCTA develops the long-range Countywide Transportation Plan (CTP), which (along with similar plans from the other eight Bay Area Counties) forms the “primary basis” for the RTP/SCS adopted by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. In turn, the CTP must consider the most recently adopted RTP/SCS to assure that the county transportation plans and the regional plan employ a common planning framework.

CCTA programs funds to individual projects over the upcoming five to seven-year period. For projects that have local proponents (city, county, transit districts, or other special districts), CCTA enters cooperative agreements, approves fund appropriation resolutions, and reimburses project proponents for each phase of the project. For projects on the state highway system, CCTA works cooperatively with Caltrans by retaining consultants and managing single or multiple phases of the project.

The Countywide Transportation Plan (CTP) is CCTA’s broadest policy and planning document. Besides outlining CCTA’s vision and goals, the CTP outlines the various strategies for addressing transportation and growth management issues within Contra Costa County. The CTP also “knits together” the various Action Plans for Routes of Regional Significance. The Action Plans, jointly prepared by jurisdictions within each sub-area of the county, outline plans for each regional roadway.

More recently, and uniquely, CCTA founded the GoMentum Station at a former naval weapons station to be a leading research facility for connected and autonomous vehicles.

Primary Funding Sources:

Local transportation sales tax; state and federal transportation funds

Population Represented:

1,123,000

Staff:

Program Highlights:

GoMentum Station–CCTA leads and facilitates a collaboration between between public and private partners to research, test, and commercialize the use of autonomous vehicles. Located in Concord, the GoMentum Station is the nation’s largest testing facility for AVs. The station spans 5,000 acres and offers 20 miles of paved road to pilot and replicate real-life scenarios in a safe and controlled environment. The deployment of AVs promotes safety and efficiency and provides environmentally sustainable solutions for Bay Area commuters. This project is particularly noteworthy because of CCTAs role in working with its communities to turn the unused weapons base as an important economic catalyst for Contra Costa County.

511 Contra Costa–511 Contra Costa encourages a multimodal approach to commuting in Contra Costa. It helps users plan bike routes, research bus schedules and fares, and locating rideshare options. 511 Contra Costa promotes alternative modes of travel that result in reduced traffic congestion and improved air quality in the county. It is partially funded by Measure J, which is administered by CCTA. The 511 Commuter Program offers monetary incentives to employees within the county who switch from driving to an alternative mode of transportation for their commute to work at least one day a week.