WATSONVILLE, Calif. — Capping a 10-year effort to buy 32 miles of coastal rail line, the county’s Regional Transportation Commission voted unanimously Thursday to use $250,000 in federal funds set aside for local projects to cover costs related to the pending acquisition.
On Jan. 19, a state panel approved the commission’s request for $14.2 million to buy the Union Pacific property connecting Watsonville to Davenport but asked the county and Union Pacific to share $650,000 in closing and engineering costs. The railroad will pay $400,000, while the county’s $250,000 will come from Regional Surface Transportation Program Exchange Funds, which are federal dollars exchanged for state funding that municipalities can use with wide discretion.
The exchange funds are part of a pool of money that totals $4 million to $6 million every two years. While the $250,000 is not earmarked for any current transportation, Thursday’s allocation will reduce the availability of that money for future initiatives.
The full story is on the San Jose Mercury News website.