One of the nation’s leading bond agencies recently reaffirmed the financial strength of the 91 Express Lanes. Citing OCTA’s long-established pattern of solid financial performance and strong governance, Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings (S&P) renewed the AA- rating for the 91 Express Lanes senior lien toll revenue bonds debt.
Last week, OCTA CEO Darrell Johnson updated the Orange County chapter of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) about the many current and future transportation projects and services on tap for Orange County. OCTA is responsible for planning, funding and implementing transit and capital projects serving Orange County’s 34 cities and 3.1 million residents.
Topics included:
- The updated Next 10 Delivery Plan that guides the implementation of OC Go and helps accelerate projects and programs to provided improvements sooner, resulting in overall savings
- OC Streetcar, expected to begin operation in 2022, which will run about 4 miles between the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center and Garden Grove, connecting with Orange County’s busiest bus routes and broadening the reach of Metrolink
- Freeway projects, including the 405 Improvement Project, the I-5 Central County Improvement Project in Santa Ana, Orange and Tustin, and the I-5 Widening Project in South Orange County
In addition, he provided information about OCTA’s Be the One (BT1) human trafficking public awareness campaign. BT1 uses signage and social media to educate bus riders and encourage them to act when they see victims. OCTA has trained more than 1,100 coach operators about how to spot signs of trafficking and get help for victims.