San Bernardino County Transportation Authority celebrates 50 years of innovation

The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority is closing out its first 50 years with a variety of innovative transportation solutions, including the recently opened Arrow Line. By 2025, Arrow will feature the first hydrogen-powered zero-emission train in North America.
The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority is closing out its first 50 years with a variety of innovative transportation solutions, including the recently opened Arrow Line. By 2025, Arrow will feature the first hydrogen-powered zero-emission train in North America.

Determined to confront the future needs of San Bernardino County, leaders from across the county formed the San Bernardino Associated Governments during a ceremony in March 1973.

SANBAG, which later became the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority, would become the platform and mechanism that would attract billions of dollars in transportation funding over the next 50 years. Authority leaders say the agency has emerged as a regional and national leader in bringing innovative transportation solutions to one of the fastest-growing population and economic centers anywhere.

Apple Valley Mayor Pro Tem Art Bishop, who also serves as president of the SBCTA Board, spoke about the agency’s progress.

“As current board members, we’re grateful for the vision and determination that our predecessors showed a half-century ago,” Bishop said. “Today, we confront similar challenges, along with some new ones, but are better equipped than ever to deal with them and improve the quality of life across our county.”

SBCTA Board consists of 29 members – five supervisors and one delegate from each of the 24 incorporated cities.

SANBAG/SBCTA history

San Bernardino County was thriving in March 1973, with a population that had swelled to more than 700,000, and a growing Cal State University, San Bernardino campus.

SBC was also about to launch its first master’s degree program and saw Norton Air Force Base employ more than 20,000 military and civilian workers.

Growth brought its challenges, too – notably, an outdated mid-century transportation grid that needed significant care and upgrading.

SANBAG was first formed as a joint powers authority and was governed by a 19-member general assembly, including five supervisors and one delegate from each of the county’s 14 cities.

“We are fortunate to live in such a dynamic region, but as our own history has taught us, we need to continue innovating and finding ways to meet the needs of a population that is growing much faster than anyone could have anticipated,” said SBCTA Board Vice President Dawn Rowe, SBC’s 3rd District Supervisor.

Almost immediately after SANBAG’s formation, the Southern California Rapid Transit District would shut down its east-west bus line across SBC. This incentivized local leaders to connect local bus services from one city to the next.

The agency’s early work was bolstered by the original state Senate Bill 325 and the one-quarter cent sales tax it authorized for transportation improvements. By early 1976, San Bernardino County had received $11.6 million in SB 325 funding.

Through the 1970s and beyond, SANBAG/SBCTA has taken a leadership role in addressing air quality issues, including endorsing annual smog inspections, promoting public transit and enhancing our highway system to reduce congestion and the accompanying greenhouse gas emissions.

The agency played a leading role in bringing Metrolink service to SBC in 1993, extending Interstate 210 from the Los Angeles County line to Redlands, and developing the 9-mile Arrow Rail Line from Redlands to San Bernardino.

Since 1973, the county’s population has continued to grow, tripling to nearly 2.2 million in 2022.

Arrow Rail Line

Arrow rail, which opened earlier this year, represents the next generation of rail transit through an innovative multiple-unit approach that allows for the current low-emission diesel power pack to be replaced by a hydrogen-powered zero-emission unit currently under development.

Today, SBCTA is involved in bringing Brightline West’s high-speed rail system from Las Vegas through the High Desert and into the recently rebranded Cucamonga Station. The agency also is seeking bids for a proposed transit tunnel between Cucamonga Station and Ontario International Airport.

“From the earliest days of SANBAG, our county transportation agency has looked for – and found – creative ways to connect people and places across the largest geographic county in the U.S. This has also helped to fortify our economy by opening up new business opportunities, attracting more jobs and helping to establish us as the place to live and work in Southern California,” said Alan D. Wapner, President of the Ontario International Airport Authority and Council Member for the City of Ontario.

Funding

SBCTA has been successful in securing grant funding for transit and transportation improvements, including more than $110 million for the future West Valley Connector bus rapid transit system linking Ontario International Airport, two Metrolink lines and multiple activity centers from Pomona to Rancho Cucamonga.

Significant funding also comes from Measure I, a half-cent sales tax approved by county voters – first in 1989 and again in 2004. Over those years, Measure I has funded billions of dollars and leveraged billions more in State and Federal funding for much-needed improvements across the county.

The foresight and trust shown by county voters also played a critical role in the positive growth of the region, agency officials said.

“San Bernardino County was ahead of the game when SANBAG was formed 50 years ago, and we remain ahead of the game today. As we address regional challenges, the collaboration and cooperation of our cities and stakeholders is as important as ever, and SBCTA is the vehicle to make that happen,” said SBCTA Board Member and former Board President Larry McCallon, Councilmember for the City of Highland.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: San Bernardino County Transportation Authority celebrates 50 years.