PROTECTING AGRICULTURAL LANDS

SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY INTERREGIONAL GOODS MOVEMENT

The San Joaquin Valley (SJV) has always been California’s geographic and agricultural production center generating more than $35 billion every year in nuts, lettuce, tomatoes, wine, and other grains and agricultural products. It also plays a major role in the national and international distribution of processed foods and energy products, and has a burgeoning logistics and distribution industry. The region has relatively inexpensive land and low cost labor, good access to the national rail and interstate highway networks, connections to major deep-water ports in Oakland, Los Angeles, and Long Beach, and proximity to major consumer markets in Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area. Recognizing the importance of goods movement to the region, the eight San Joaquin Valley Regional Planning Agencies and Caltrans commissioned the San Joaquin Valley Interregional Goods Movement Plan completed in 2013. The Goods Movement Plan (Plan) builds upon recent traffic, logistics, and long-term infrastructure improvement planning efforts throughout the region. Building on these prior efforts and new analysis, the Plan developed a comprehensive list of prioritized multi-modal projects, strategic programs, and policies that will guide future goods movement investments and policy.  In FY 2014-15, the Valley RPAs were awarded two additional goods movement related planning grants from Caltrans to continue to identify strategies and recommendations for improving freight movement in the Valley.  

Ongoing Activities:

• Continue to participate in the California Freight Advisory Committee (Supervisor Ishida and the SJVAPCD are current members).

• Continue to advocate for key Valley corridors as part of the MAP 21 Primary Freight Network planning process.

• Provide input to California’s Freight Mobility Plan.

• Begin implementation of the San Joaquin Valley Goods Movement Sustainable Implementation Plan (Caltrans Partnership Planning Grant).

• Begin implementation of the San Joaquin Valley I-5/SR 99 Goods Movement Study (Caltrans Emerging Priorities Planning Grant).

• Do refresh technical analysis of east-west corridors, ports, and rail projects.

• Continue to work with regional partners conducting logistics, economic development and other analysis related to goods movement.

• Advocate and support efforts to maintain short line rail corridors.