Regional Transportation Plan adopted with commitments to study Garcia River flooding and sea‑level impacts

The Mendocino Council of Governments on June 1 adopted the 2026 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and Active Transportation Plan (ATP), and discussed public concern over repeated closures on State Route 1 at the Garcia River.

A member of the public identified as Dave urged the board to use the RTP to mount a focused effort to resolve recurring SR‑1 closures that disrupt lifeline access for coastal communities. He said the RTP should "replace" passive language with specific short‑term projects and stronger partnership language to address the flooding problem.

Staff responded that the Garcia River location is tracked in the RTP’s needs assessment and short‑range action plan and that the county’s sea‑level‑rise roadway‑impact study is under way; they also said Caltrans (District 1) has received recent funding approval to begin feasibility analysis for possible corrective work. Staff noted some projects on state highways will be included in Caltrans vulnerability assessments rather than in the RTP’s five identified in‑depth studies, but that the RTP was amended to flag the Garcia River issue and moved a conceptual project into the short‑range list to keep momentum.

Board members thanked the commenter and staff for ongoing engagement and then approved the RTP/ATP by roll‑call vote. Board direction included continuing partnership with Caltrans and incorporating edits requested in public comment letters where staff had determined the changes appropriate.

Next steps: staff will incorporate agreed edits, share the sea‑level‑rise study outputs with Caltrans, and pursue feasibility work supported by newly allocated Caltrans district funding.