For anyone who regularly sits in traffic on Highway 65 near the Galleria, another year of waiting for improvements is hardly welcome news. But that's what nearly happened, even after Placer County secured $25 million in federal funding to help address congestion along the corridor.
A pending change to Caltrans' contracting requirements threatened to force revisions to completed engineering work, adding an estimated $2 million in costs and delaying the project by another year. The funding had been approved, but the federal dollars needed to arrive before the new requirements took effect.
Securing that funding had already taken months of work. The Placer County Transportation Planning Agency (PCTPA) assembled data showing how congestion on Highway 65 affects traffic, freight movement, and the regional economy. Local governments, businesses, and community leaders rallied behind the project. Congressman Kevin Kiley, whose district office is just off Highway 65, understood the need firsthand. Using his position on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, he worked directly with federal transportation leaders to make Placer County's case. The coordinated effort secured a highly competitive $25 million BUILD grant, one of only two awarded on the West Coast that year and the only one in California.
Then came the unexpected deadline. With millions in additional costs and another year of delays at stake, Kiley and his team returned to federal officials to expedite the funding. Within three days, the issue was resolved.
Placer County could have secured the grant and still spent another year waiting, with taxpayers facing millions in additional costs. Instead, local transportation expertise, broad community support, and Kiley's ability to navigate the federal process helped keep the project on track. It's a reminder that effective partnerships and representatives willing to follow through can make a difference in how quickly local priorities move forward.