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A half-dozen projects in Tri-Valley communities, as well as a handful of others with countywide impacts, were earmarked for nearly $20 million in federal funding this month thanks to the efforts of U.S. Reps. Eric Swalwell and Mark DeSaulnier.
Secured as part of the appropriations bill signed by President Joe Biden last week, the list of local projects to receive federal monies include Veterans Park in downtown Livermore, the Axis Bridge mental health urgent care program, two Iron Horse Regional Trail projects and traffic signal improvements in Danville.
“I am incredibly pleased that the government funding bill included $11,525,000 in Community Project Funding that will help CA-15 residents, from providing a new community center and veterans park, to improving bicycle and pedestrian safety in the East Bay,” Swalwell (D-Livermore) said in a statement. “I am proud to have fought for this funding that will make our community healthier, safer, and more resilient.”
“For the first time in a decade, we finally have the opportunity to bring home funding to Contra Costa for specific projects that will have a meaningful impact on people’s daily lives,” DeSaulnier (D-Concord) added about the $8 million he secured. “From supporting mental health resources to improving commutes, the quality of life of residents across the County will be much improved thanks to this critical funding.”
Swalwell’s list of nine projects districtwide includes:
* $2 million to finalize designs for construction of the Iron Horse Regional Trail bicycle-pedestrian overcrossing in San Ramon.
* $1 million to support the new Veterans Park in downtown Livermore, with money eligible to be used for design, engineering, entitlements, and construction.
* $450,000 for the Axis Bridge mental health urgent care services pilot program among the cities of Pleasanton, Livermore and Dublin and Axis Community Health.
* $375,000 for the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District to develop a “Latinx Support and Access” community engagement program.
Two other projects on Swalwell’s catalog have regional implications: $1.7 million for the Alameda County Transportation Commission’s Safe Routes to Schools mini-grant program, and $3.5 million for the East Bay Municipal Utility District’s upgrades to the Upper San Leandro Drinking Water Treatment Plant (EBMUD’s service area includes much of the San Ramon Valley).
A bit north in the Tri-Valley in DeSaulnier’s district, the project list includes:
* $1 million for Danville’s townwide traffic signal modernization project, including replacement of aging signal hardware, vehicular detection systems and communications infrastructure.
* $350,000 for the Iron Horse trail bridge, nature walk and pedestrian safety project in Danville, in coordination with the cities of San Ramon and Dublin.
Contra Costa County projects for DeSaulnier include the mobile crisis response team expansion ($1.061 million), the Contra Costa Crisis Services’ Hub Project ($1 million), Contra Costa Regional Medical Center’s collaborative care implementation ($900,000), the Office of Education internet access project ($900,000), the Department of Conservation and Development’s Just Transition Economic Revitalization Plan ($750,000) and building improvements at local veterans memorial buildings ($700,000).
The 12-bill omnibus government funding package, which was passed by the House of Representatives and Senate before being signed by Biden on March 15, included a range of domestic initiatives as well as emergency aid to Ukraine.
