Connect SoCal FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Connect SoCal Plan (2024 RTP/SCS)
What is SCAG?
Founded in 1965, the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) is an association of local governments and agencies that voluntarily convene as a forum to address regional issues. Under federal law, SCAG is designated as a metropolitan planning organization (MPO) and under state law as a regional transportation planning agency and a council of governments.
The SCAG region encompasses six counties (Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura) and 191 cities in an area covering more than 38,000 square miles.
The agency develops long-range regional transportation plans that include sustainable communities strategies and growth forecasts, regional transportation improvement programs, regional housing needs allocations, and a portion of the South Coast Air Quality management plans.
What is Connect SoCal 2024?
Connect SoCal 2024 (also known as the 2024 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy or RTP/SCS) represents the vision for Southern California’s future, including policies, strategies, and projects for advancing the region’s mobility, economy, and sustainability through 2050. The plan details how the region will address its transportation and land use challenges and opportunities in order to achieve its regional emissions standards and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets. Connect SoCal 2024 will build from the policy direction established in Connect SoCal 2020 as well as more recent policy direction from SCAG’s Regional Council to reflect emerging issues such as equity, resilience, and the economy.
The components of Connect SoCal 2024 are required by federal and state legislation and is an important planning document for the region, allowing project sponsors to qualify for federal funding. SCAG is required to update this long-range planning document every four years.
What is included in Connect SoCal 2024?
Connect SoCal 2024 contains the following core components:
- Vision, policies, and performance measures: Contains an overarching vision, policies, a list of regional transportation goals, and measures for evaluating our performance in achieving those goals.
- Forecasts: Future distribution of population, households, employment, land use, and housing needs.
- Financial plan: Identifies reasonable expected revenues over the 25-year plan horizon.
- List of projects: Includes projects that are anticipated to be initiated and/or completed by 2050.
- Analysis of the following focus areas: active transportation, aviation, environmental justice, goods movement, highways and arterials, land use, open space farm and natural lands conservation, passenger rail and transit, public health, transportation demand management, and transportation safety and security.
How are projects selected for inclusion in Connect SoCal 2024?
Early in the planning process, SCAG asks that each of the six county transportation commissions (CTCs) submit updated project lists for inclusion. The CTCs are responsible for adding, removing, or updating projects from the 2020 RTP/SCS based on jurisdictional needs. These projects are then considered for inclusion in Connect SoCal 2024.
What is SCAG’s role in developing Connect SoCal 2024?
SCAG is the lead agency in facilitating the development of the region’s long-range transportation planning. SCAG understands the importance of input and consensus, and utilizes a collaborative process over several years to create Connect SoCal 2024. This includes working with local jurisdictions through a process known as the Local Data Exchange (LDX) as well as working directly with county transportation commissions (CTCs). Throughout the development of Connect SoCal, SCAG staff are guided by its Policy Committees, CTCs, subregions, local governments, several state and federal agencies (including Caltrans), environmental and business communities, tribal governments, non-profit groups, as well the general public. The end result of this collaborative process is a collaborative and comprehensive document that reflects public consideration and addresses the region’s needs.
To learn more about the Local Data Exchange, visit the LDX webpage.
How does the Connect SoCal 2024 affect me?
Given the geographic diversity and size of the SCAG region, a coordinated transportation system that is well integrated with land uses and operates efficiently is imperative to the mobility and quality of life of Southern California residents. By employing a regional focus to transportation and land use planning, SCAG seeks to improve the region’s mobility, economy, and sustainability.
And although it doesn’t commit funds to specific projects, Connect SoCal 2024 does set the framework for how transportation tax dollars will be spent in the SCAG region over the coming years and decades. The future of the SCAG region will be shaped by the goals and policies set forth in Connect SoCal 2024.
Why do we need Connect SoCal?
Our region is expected to add nearly 1.7 million people in the next 25 years. Connect SoCal 2024 lays out a vision for accommodating that growth, while at the same time maintaining our quality of life and protecting our environment.
Who will approve Connect SoCal?
Various elements of Connect SoCal will be brought before SCAG’s Policy Committees for review, and then before SCAG’s 86-member Regional Council for approval. The Regional Council is made up of elected representatives from the region’s cities and counties as well as one representative of the Southern California Native American Tribal Governments.
How is the public involved?
As the plan is being developed, SCAG will host a number of interactive community workshops, elected official briefings, and public hearings. Feedback shared will help shape the final plan. Nearing the end of the plan’s development, SCAG will release a draft of Connect SoCal 2024 for a public review and comment period. SCAG is required to respond to or address all comments and responses received during the public review and comment period. The final plan will include a Public Participation & Consultation Technical Report to catalogue and archive comments received.