The San Joaquin Council of Governments (SJCOG) Board of Directors on Feb. 22 approved the annual San Joaquin One Voice® package of regional projects it will take to Washington, D.C., in May seeking federal funding.

The projects selected fall under legislative themes approved by the SJCOG Board: equity and accessibility, transportation sustainability and resiliency, innovation and mobility, and economic growth. 

“This is a strong slate of projects that are very important – even vital – to the region in providing traffic safety, reducing traffic congestion, improving air quality, and providing other crucial solutions to our residents,” Escalon Mayor and SJCOG Chair David Bellinger said.

Refinement has been the key to One Voice® success. 

“We’ve had great results in recent years by strategically honing the One Voice® project selection process to strengthen connections with federal legislative principles to bring back to San Joaquin County as much federal funding as possible,” SJCOG Executive Director Diane Nguyen said. “In the past, federal officials have commented on how important local funding is in leveraging federal dollars, which is significant for those One Voice® projects that also receive money from Measure K, the half-cent sales tax that pays for transportation improvements in San Joaquin County.”

One Voice® is SJCOG’s advocacy program for promoting projects, programs and issues of regional significance to federal lawmakers and agencies, typically via an annual trip to the nation’s capital. The One Voice® delegation typically includes elected officials, SJCOG Board members, government and SJCOG staffers, and other supporters who will meet with federal lawmakers and agency officials. This year’s trip is scheduled for May 6-9.

The projects are:

• Interstate 5/Louise Avenue Interchange Project (Lathrop).
• Energy Center Hydrogen Conversion Project (Lodi).
• State Route 120/Airport Way Diverging Diamond Interchange Project (Manteca).
• Megaregion Investment Strategy for State Route 99/120 Connector Phase 1B and Interstate 205 Managed Lanes (San Joaquin Council of Governments).
• Grant Line Road Corridor Improvement Project (San Joaquin County).
• North Lathrop Transfer Station Project (San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission).
• Vehicle Replacement Project (San Joaquin Regional Transit District/United Cerebral Palsy).
• Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard Rail and Roadway Reconstruction Project (Stockton).
• Interstate 580/Corral Hollow Road Interchange Project (Tracy).

More information about the projects can be found on the San Joaquin One Voice® webpage.

Recent One Voice® successes include $9 million in community project funding, or earmarks, on three projects: 

• SJCOG’s State Route 99/120 Interchange Phase 1B ($5 million).
• San Joaquin County’s Grant Line Road Improvements ($2.5 million).
• San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission’s The Rail Academy of Central California ($1.5 million).