(a) The State Transportation Infrastructure Climate Adaptation Program is hereby established, to be administered by the department, for purposes of planning, developing, and implementing projects adapting state transportation infrastructure to climate change.

(b) (1) Upon appropriation of funds by the Legislature, including funds allocated to this program from the PROTECT program, the department shall prepare the resilience improvement plan for the state and shall develop a program of its top priority climate adaptation projects identified through its Adaptation Priorities Report process that will result in more resilient transportation infrastructure. The department shall submit projects in this program to the commission for adoption.

(2) In developing the program of projects pursuant to paragraph (1), the department shall consider all of the following:

(A) The department shall consult the 2020 and 2021 adaptation priority reports or any subsequent updates.

(B) The degree of risk for recurring damage or asset failure due to climate threats.

(C) The benefits of the project to preserving or enhancing regional or statewide mobility, economy, goods movement, and safety, and other benefits associated with protecting the asset.

(D) The benefits of the project to preserving or protecting adjacent communities, the environment, and other critical infrastructure.

(E) The degree to which the project incorporates environmental equity, protects vulnerable and under-resourced communities, and provides benefits to underserved communities, consistent with the California State Adaptation Strategy.

(3) In developing the program of projects pursuant to paragraph (1), the department may also consider, as secondary factors, cobenefits including reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases and vehicle miles traveled.

(4) In developing the program of projects pursuant to paragraph (1), the department may prioritize projects with local sponsors or additional sources of funding. The department may consider joint proposals for projects on the state highway system that are also eligible for funding under the program established pursuant to Section 14564.

(c) No later than April 1 of each year, the department shall provide the Legislature with a list of projects funded pursuant to this section, consistent with Section 9795.

(d) The department may use funds appropriated for this program to fund the development and implementation of projects described in subdivision (b) that are included in the State Highway Operation and Protection Program.

(e) The department may use funds appropriated for this program to develop project initiation documents for the purposes of providing engineering details that document the scope, cost, and schedule for projects described in subdivision (b).

(f) The department shall develop the program of projects pursuant to subdivision (b) in consultation with the Transportation Agency, the commission, the Natural Resources Agency, the Office of Planning and Research, the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program Technical Advisory Council, and other relevant state or local agencies that have adopted climate adaptation plans or strategies. The department shall ensure that, to the extent practical, the program established pursuant to this section is coordinated with other state-administered programs that fund climate adaptation activities.

(g) A state highway system project funded pursuant to this program shall, to the extent practicable, be consistent with the state’s asset management plan prepared pursuant to Section 14526.4.

(h) Nothing in this section shall limit the department from programming funds to more than one phase of the same project, but no single project shall be awarded all of the funding available under the program.

(Added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 71, Sec. 3. (SB 198) Effective June 30, 2022.)