LandWatch State of Monterey County Report 1999
 3.5 Roads and Highways

degradation below LOS D for urban roads now operating at LOS D or better, no degradation below LOS C for those rural roads now operating at LOS C or better, and no degradation below existing LOS for all other roads.

Of the 15 state highway segments evaluated, four are at LOS D, one is at LOS E, and seven are at LOS F (Table 10). Route 183 from Davis Road to Route 1 has the highest accident rate. Of the 18 local arterials evaluated, nine are at LOS C, seven are at LOS D, and one is at LOS F (Table 11).(9) The LOS has decreased over the last three years at the following segment locations: Route 101 from Espinosa Road to San Benito County; Fremont Boulevard from North Del Monte Avenue to Route 1; Blanco Road from Davis Road to Blanco Circle; and Blanco Road from Reservation Road to Davis Road.

Transportation Funding
It is estimated that Monterey County will receive over $1 billion dollars in funding for transportation projects and programs in the next 20 years. Of this amount, 37% is planned to go for capacity-increasing projects, 33% to maintenance and rehabilitation, 16% to transit, 8% for safety projects, 4% for aviation, and 2% for rail, planning, transportation demand management programs, multimodal facility, traffic flow improvements, bike and pedestrian facilities, landscaping, alternative fuels, parking, and a reserve set aside (Table 12). Funding sources include federal, state, and local dollars.(10)

Of the $388,645,000 estimated for capacity-increasing road and highway projects, 88% is planned for Prunedale Bypass and Route 101 interchanges as well as operational improvements near Prunedale (Table 13). Other highway improvements include about $7 million for operational improvements on Route 1 near Carmel and widening of Route 156 between Castroville and Prunedale. There is no funding approved for capacity-increasing projects on Route 1 north of Castroville, Route 1 near Seaside, Route 68 west and east of Highway 1, Route 183 north of Salinas, Route 218 from Highway 1 to Fremont, as well as Fremont Boulevard, Blanco Road, and Reservation Road. These roads are all at LOS D or worse.

Vehicle Trips
Average daily trips in 1997 were estimated at 1,046,057 and vehicle miles traveled during a typical workday at 8,978,000 miles.(11) This number is expected to increase 42% to 12,743,000 miles in 2020. Commuters make fewer than 3% of their work trips on a Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) bus.(10) In 1990, an estimated 11,427 employed residents (7% of employed residents) traveled to employment outside of Monterey County. In 1995, measuring on a "net" basis (in-commuters minus out-commuters), about 2,600 employed residents, representing 1.6% of the total county workforce, commuted to jobs outside Monterey County. By 2020, again on a "net" basis, about 11,000 residents, or 4.9% of the total workforce, are expected to commute to work outside of the county.