(a) Pursuant to Section 149.7, the Legislature hereby authorizes a value pricing and transit program involving high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes to be developed and operated on State Highway Route 15 in Riverside County by the Riverside County Transportation Commission, as one of two toll lane projects in southern California authorized by subdivision (c) of Section 149.7.
(b) The Riverside County Transportation Commission shall carry out the program in cooperation with the department pursuant to a cooperative agreement that addresses all matters related to design, construction, maintenance, and operation of state highway program facilities in connection with the value pricing and transit program. With the assistance of the department, the Riverside County Transportation Commission shall establish appropriate traffic flow guidelines for the purpose of ensuring optimal use of the express lanes by high-occupancy vehicles without adversely affecting other traffic on the state highway system. The commission shall operate the HOT lane facilities in a manner consistent with the minimum level of service standards established in subdivision (b) of Sections 149.4, 149.5, and 149.6.
(c) (1) Pursuant to Section 149.7, the Riverside County Transportation Commission shall have the authority to set, levy, and collect tolls, user fees, or other similar charges payable for the use of the State Highway Route 15 HOT lanes, and any other incidental or related fees or charges, in amounts as required for the following expenditures relative to State Highway Route 15 and for purposes of paragraph (2):
(A) Capital outlay, including the costs of design, construction, right-of-way acquisition, and utility adjustment.
(B) Operations and maintenance, including, but not limited to, toll collection and enforcement.
(C) Repair and rehabilitation.
(D) Indebtedness incurred, including related financing costs.
(E) Reserves.
(F) Administration, which shall not exceed 3 percent of toll and associated facility revenues.
(2) Excess toll revenues beyond the expenditure needs of paragraph (1) may be expended for the following purposes:
(A) To enhance transit service designed to reduce traffic congestion on State Highway Route 15 or to expand travel options along the State Highway Route 15 corridor. Eligible expenditures include, but are not limited to, transit operating assistance, the acquisition of transit vehicles, and the transit capital improvements otherwise eligible to be funded under the state transportation improvement program pursuant to Section 164.
(B) To make operational or capacity improvements designed to reduce congestion or improve the flow of traffic on State Highway Route 15. Eligible expenditures may include any phase of project delivery to make capital improvements to onramps, connector roads, roadways, bridges, or other structures that are related to the tolled or nontolled facilities on State Highway Route 15.
(3) The Riverside County Transportation Commission is authorized to issue bonds to finance the costs of the HOT lane facilities on State Highway Route 15, including the costs of issuing the bonds and paying credit enhancement and other fees related to the bonds, which bonds are payable from the tolls authorized in paragraph (1), and any other sources of revenue available to the Riverside County Transportation Commission that may be used for these purposes, including, but not limited to, sales tax revenue, development impact fees, or state and federal grant funds. The bonds may be sold pursuant to the terms and conditions set forth in a resolution adopted by the governing board of the Riverside County Transportation Commission. Bonds shall be issued pursuant to a resolution adopted by a two-thirds vote of the governing board. Any bond issued pursuant to this paragraph shall not constitute a debt or liability of the state and shall contain on its face a statement to the following effect:
“Neither the full faith and credit nor the taxing power of the State of California is pledged to the payment of principal or interest of this bond.”
(4) The Riverside County Transportation Commission shall make available for public review and comment the proposed toll schedule, or any changes to the schedule, a minimum of 30 days prior to its adoption by the Riverside County Transportation Commission.
(d) The Riverside County Transportation Commission, in consultation with the department, shall issue a plan of transportation improvements for the State Highway Route 15 corridor, which shall include projected costs, the use of toll revenues, and a proposed completion schedule. This plan shall be updated annually. The plan and each annual update shall be made available for public review and comment no less than 30 days prior to its adoption by the Riverside County Transportation Commission.
(e) This section shall not prevent the department or any local agency from constructing facilities within the State Highway Route 15 corridor that compete with the HOT lane transportation project, and in no event shall the Riverside County Transportation Commission be entitled to compensation for the adverse effects on toll revenue due to those facilities.
(f) If any provision of this section or the application thereof is held invalid, that invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of this section that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this extent the provisions of this section are severable.
(Added by Stats. 2008, Ch. 421, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2009.)