Connect SoCal 2024 Implementation Update Report
SCAG staff and local and subregional partners are making progress implementing the Connect SoCal 2024 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy, as outlined in a staff report presented to the SCAG Regional Council and policy committees at the beginning of November.
As adopted by the SCAG Regional Council in April 2024, Connect SoCal 2024 includes 93 Implementation Strategies, created in collaboration with the local and subregional partners and stakeholders, to guide the work of implementing the plan’s holistic long-term vision for the region.
Implementation of Connect SoCal 2024 is also supported by unprecedented funding from the state of California—part of a new statewide approach to the largest challenges facing California, such as housing affordability and climate change. For example, SCAG is administering the state funding that supports the 2024 Sustainable Communities Program (SCP) – Active Transportation and Safety call for applications announced in September 2024.
The Regional Early Action Planning Program of 2021 (REAP 2.0) program, which suballocates $192.7 million toward 100 transformative housing projects throughout Southern California, is also providing key funding support to advance the goals of the Connect SoCal 2024 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy. REAP 2.0 investments will not only facilitate the creation of thousands of housing units in the near term but also address the systemic barriers that have historically hindered housing production. By aligning with Connect SoCal’s vision, the REAP 2.0 program ensures that transportation and housing solutions work together to foster sustainable, equitable growth across Southern California.
According to the staff report, SCAG has advanced 71 of the 93 Implementation Strategies included in Connect SoCal 2024, including the following highlights.
Collaboration and Policy Leadership
Executive Director Kome Ajise is serving on the Transit Transformation Task Force, meeting with stakeholders at the state level on innovations for transit, including transit priority treatments.
Regional Council President Curt Hagman participated as a panelist at the ITS World Congress in Dubai in September 2024, and spoke about leveraging Connected and Automated Vehicle technology to improve fuel economy.
Regional Council First Vice President Cindy Allen and SCAG staff participated in a transportation electrification international study trip, in partnership with the Los Angeles Clean Technology Incubator, to engage with policy leaders in London, Oslo, and Munich.
Federal Funding Administration
SCAG approved the final transportation conformity analyses for the 2025 Federal Transportation Improvement Program and Connect SoCal 2024 Amendment 1 in September 2024.
SCAG approved the selection of transportation projects to be funded with nearly $280 million of combined Carbon Reduction Program (CRP), Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ), and Surface Transportation Block Program (STBG) federal funding.
SCAG funded five grant programs, a total of 100 projects, through the Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) 2.0 grant program, that support housing planning and development along with transportation investments in infill areas.
Data Collection, Analysis, and Research
SCAG released numerous data and best practices resources, such as the Regional Dedicated Transit Lanes interactive mapping tool, the “Broadband Permit Streamlining Report,” the Broadband Permit Streamlining Ordinance, the “Economic Impacts of Equity Report,” and the “Job Quality Index Framework Report.”
Local Technical Assistance Resources
SCAG issued the 2024 Sustainable Communities Program – Active Transportation and Safety call for applications this summer.
SCAG conducted GIS trainings, Streetlight Insight trainings, and hosted seven Toolbox Tuesday sessions, providing a range of planning knowledge and technical skills for local planners at no cost.
Reaching the goals and realizing the benefits of Connect SoCal 2024 relies on many partners, stakeholders, and decisions makers beyond SCAG. However, SCAG has an increasingly significant role for plan implementation which rests on collaboration with other agencies and stakeholders, policy leadership, our role as an information hub, through research—and, lastly, by providing resources to local agencies or jurisdictions to advance their planning efforts or implementation.
Additional details on the progress of the entire list of Implementation Strategies are available in the staff report presented to SCAG policy committees on Nov. 5, 2024.