Press Releases

Over the past two weeks, Congressman Salud Carbajal (CA-24) has toured projects, agencies, and Central Coast businesses that have benefited from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to mark a milestone $1 billion invested in projects across the three counties that he represents in Congress.

Rep. Carbajal helped write and pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law with the Biden-Harris Administration in 2021 through his role as a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

“Three years ago, my colleagues and I on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee were hard at work moving the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law through Congress – the largest infrastructure investment in a generation. And since November of 2021, we have seen that law bring new federal funds to projects across the Central Coast and throughout our state,” said Rep. Carbajal. “Now, we have surpassed one billion dollars for projects and operations in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties – for road, bridge, and highway upgrades, for clean water projects and climate resiliency investments, for improved transit and rail options, for expanded high-speed broadband, and so much more. And, of course, these investments bring new good-paying jobs to our region, an estimated 13,000 jobs and counting. Tha’s a win-win.”

“This is what the American people want: the federal government, working with the state government and the locals – forgetting about pointing the finger, calling people names, or infighting – and just simply working to get projects done to benefit our residents,” said Santa Barbara County Supervisor Steve Lavagnino, Chair of SBCAG. “I want to thank Congressman Carbajal and I’m looking forward to the next billion dollars!”

“Part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is: there’s no partisan potholes or traffic. Nobody wants to be in traffic, everybody wants clean drinking water. This investment that is coming our way is going to make a huge difference for all of our community,” said Santa Barbara City Councilmember Eric Friedman. “It wouldn’t happen without individuals in Congress that understand our needs, who are from the local community.”

“Infrastructure touches on all aspects of our lives,” said San Luis Obispo City Council Member Andy Pease. “This work has been pivotal for our success as a region, and the Congressman’s success in bringing money to our local economies is greatly appreciated.”

The kickoff of the tour was held at earlier this month at the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD). That event can be viewed here.

Transit Upgrades

Rep. Carbajal visited both Santa Barbara MTD and the San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority (RTA) to highlight funding the transit agencies have received to electrify their bus fleet and purchase new zero-emission buses.

In July, Rep. Carbajal announced $5.4 million from the infrastructure law to underwrite the costs of the new electric buses.

"The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides critical support for public transit operators like MTD throughout the country,” said Santa Barbara MTD General Manager Jerry Estrada. “What that translates here in Santa Barbara is equipment, public assets, that we rely on to provide public transit services to this community. That’s service people rely on: seniors, people with disabilities, students, and folks just trying to get to work. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law helps make that happen.”

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has also supported zero-emission bus purchases in Santa Maria, Ventura, and for both Ventura Unified and Santa Barbara Unified school districts.

In addition, Rep. Carbajal visited the train stations in Grover Beach and Santa Barbara – two different stations on the Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor (LOSSAN Corridor) – to highlight $1 million in federal funds allocated to improve passenger rail options for Central Coast residents. The funding comes from a new federal rail program set up by the 2021 infrastructure law.

Road, Bridge, and Highway Repairs

More than half of the $1 billion delivered by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is funding repair projects for Central Coast roads, highways, and bridges – more than $200 million of which has been delivered through Caltrans and local organizations like SBCAG and the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments.

“We have been so fortunate to have the support of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” said Scott Eades, Caltrans District 5 Director. “This funding has been used for critical safety improvements, for climate resiliency improvements, environment enhancements, bridge projects like the one we visited today, and complete street improvements. From 2022 to 2028, federal funding will contribute over $725 million to projects within Caltrans District 5 and California’s 24^th Congressional District.”

Rep. Carbajal visited the site of the San Jose Creek Bridge Replacement project in Goleta, where $22 million from federal infrastructure law is helping Caltrans replace the bridges on both Highway 101 and State Route 217.

He also highlighted the $13 million in federal funds that helped complete road and sidewalk upgrades on Highway 1 between Pismo Beach, Oceano, and Grover Beach.

Federal infrastructure funds are also supporting upgrades along Highway 101 in Santa Barbara County, improvements to State Route 46, and the Floradale Bridge near Lompoc.

Climate Resiliency and Clean Water

Rep. Carbajal also took time to visit projects funded by the infrastructure law that are promoting the resiliency of Central Coast communities to the effects of climate change.

In Pismo Beach, he surveyed where $200,000 in federal funds will help the city complete a coastal erosion mitigation project, protecting neighborhoods by Dinosaur Caves Park and preventing further need for infrastructure investments for repairs along the bluffs.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has funded more than $1 million in similar climate resiliency projects on the Central Coast, including in Carpinteria and at ports and harbors like Ventura, Morro Bay, and Port San Luis.

The infrastructure law is also promoting the Central Coast’s resiliency to future droughts through investments in clean water projects, including Ventura Water Pure ($14 million), Central Coast Blue ($14 million), and water projects in Carpinteria ($9.7 million) and Morro Bay ($9.3 million).

Federal infrastructure funds are also supporting upgrades along Highway 101 in Santa Barbara County, improvements to State Route 46, and the Floradale Bridge near Lompoc.

Growing the Local Economy

Congressman Carbajal also visited Central Coast businesses that are seeing the downstream positive effects of increased investments in local construction and revitalization projects, supporting local jobs and economic growth.

According to ARTBA, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s investments support more than 13,000 jobs on the Central Coast.

At Melfred Borzall, a drilling tool manufacturer in Santa Maria, the family leadership of the business highlighted the impacts they’re seeing from the law.

“As a multi-generational, family-owned company, we were incredibly honored to have Congressman Carbajal visit with us and get a firsthand look at how the bipartisan infrastructure law has helped us invest in our people and equipment so we can continue helping build the world,” said Peter Melsheimer, the third generation of Melsheimer ownership of Melfred Borzall. “We really appreciate the time he spent touring our facility and meeting with our employees, because they’re the ones who are ultimately benefitting from his leadership in getting this legislation passed into law.”

Rep. Carbajal also visited Coastline Equipment in Santa Maria, a construction equipment supplier, which shared that both its business and local contractors that rely on their supplies have seen an uptick in construction business thanks to more infrastructure projects across the region.

“Through the first half of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we have over 70,000 road and bridge projects that have been moved forward for funding – in California alone, 2,500. That’s $128 billion nationally and $12.5 billion just in California,” said American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) Senior Vice President Dean Franks. “This is a huge job creation. 40,000 more construction workers are on jobs right now than before the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. That doesn’t include all the non-direct jobs that this supports. And we believe that the best is yet to come.”