Rep. Juan Vargas Secures $115 Million in Federal Funding for California’s 51st District Community Projects
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 29, 2021) – Today, Rep. Juan Vargas (CA-51) secured approximately $115 million for Imperial County and San Diego County infrastructure, transit, environmental and transportation projects in California’s 51st Congressional District in the House-Approved Appropriations Package, H.R. 4502 – Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Agriculture, Rural Development, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act, 2022. Community projects funded in this bill include the Calexico West Port of Entry, Bayshore Bikeway and trolley system improvements, the New River, Salton Sea, and road infrastructure projects.
"I am proud to support a bill that includes historic increases in funding for education and health care, worker protections and environmental justice," said Rep. Vargas. "I am also confident that the residents of California's 51st District will see the health and economic benefits of the transit, transportation, infrastructure, and environmental projects that I was able to secure in today's House-passed appropriations package. These projects will create jobs, stimulate our local and regional economies, ensure that investments are made in our region, and also address critical environmental health issues affecting the region."
Included in this bill is $103 million for the final phase of the Calexico West Land Port of Entry. Once complete the project renovates and expands the port, increases the number of inspection booths, constructs new facilities, increases southbound lanes, and enhances U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s ability to conduct its mission.
Approximately $8.1 million will go toward improvements to transit stations and bikeway connections in the 51st District. These projects will help improve efficiencies to increase mobility, make transit more dependable, grow ridership, and reduce traffic congestion. In addition, funding to finalize the connections of the Bayshore Bikeway will help meet regional, statewide and national goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle miles traveled.
“Transit is an essential part of our livelihood, as many people in my district rely on it every day as their principal method of transportation,” said Rep. Vargas. “Commuters often use public transit for work, and seniors and people living with disabilities are empowered by the ability to use it to get to appointments, grocery stores, and to visit family. Making improvements to our transit system provides many benefits to riders, our local economy and the environment.”
An environmental project, the New River Project, in the amount of $500,000 will involve the development of a Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) which will analyze pollutants in the New River. “This bill funds important project work that serves as a major first step toward the goal of a new wastewater infrastructure facility,” said Rep. Vargas. “The report will gather necessary data about the New River to inform next steps in the planning, design and development of critical infrastructure needed to address transboundary pollution.”
An additional $2.5 million in funding will go toward the Salton Sea Research Project, which will directly assess the role of exposed playa to the environment. “The Salton Sea Research Project will help deepen our understanding of the impact of the Salton Sea on the health of our communities,” said Rep. Vargas. “With the Salton Sea’s exposed playa and dust being a contributor to the region’s poor air quality, this direct assessment and collection of data is a critical step in addressing potential factors to community health issues such as the high rates of asthma in the region.”
The Salton Sea Restoration Project with $200,000 in funding, will evaluate the creation of a Salton Sea Perimeter Lake, to reduce the exposed lakebed and provide possible habitat, improved air quality, and public health benefits in the region.
Funding in the amount of $400,000 will go toward design of the widening of La Media Road, between Siempre Viva Road and the designated truck route, to the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. “La Media Road connects trucks to the Otay Mesa Port of Entry and, therefore, is a key component of our local and binational transportation infrastructure,” said Rep. Vargas. “Improving road conditions on this designated truck route will ensure efficient goods movement, benefitting our local and regional economy.”
“As this bill makes its way to the Senate, I will continue to fight for our district to ensure that we get the federal funding we need to make a difference in the lives of constituents in my congressional district,” said Rep. Vargas.
Vargas represents California’s 51st Congressional District which includes the southern portion of San Diego County, all of Imperial County and California’s entire U.S.-Mexico border. Vargas was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012 and is currently serving his fifth term in Congress. He serves on the House Financial Services Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee.
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