13 Transportation Projects in California Make List of 250 in America

Full Collection Available: www.artba.org/250projects

As the U.S. celebrates its 250th anniversary, UCON is proud to share the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) sweeping list of 250 transportation improvements that have fueled U.S. economic growth and enhanced quality of life during the past two and a half centuries.

From colonial roads and canals to railroads, bridges, ports and waterways, airports, rail and transit systems, and Interstate highways, the featured projects transformed a nascent nation of 13 colonies into a world superpower.

Connecting a Nation: 250 Transportation Projects That Helped Build America covers all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Projects in California:

• San Francisco International Airport (A roughly 14‑mile southward location from downtown San Francisco to an unincorporated San Mateo County site on the San Francisco Peninsula, between Millbrae and San Bruno along the San Francisco Bay) – 55M passengers yearly, $70B economic impact, 31,000 jobs supported—one of the world’s leading international gateways and economic engines.
• Golden Gate Bridge (A 1.7‑mile suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate strait, linking San Francisco and Marin County) – 40M+ crossings yearly, $161M+ toll revenue, once the world’s longest and tallest suspension bridge, serving as a vital Bay Area link.
• Bay Area Rapid Transit (A regional rail transit system spanning the San Francisco Bay Area, linking San Francisco with Oakland and surrounding cities across five counties, including Alameda and Contra Costa) – 131‑mile rail system with 50 stations, serving as the backbone of Bay Area transit connecting San Francisco with East Bay and Peninsula communities.
• Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement (City of Los Angeles; spanning the Los Angeles River just east of downtown, it connects the Arts District with the Boyle Heights neighborhood) – 3,500‑foot viaduct restoring a key Los Angeles River crossing, improving safety and mobility for vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists while boosting redevelopment.
• Los Angeles International Airport (Los Angeles) – 74M passengers yearly, nearly $127B economic output—one of the world’s busiest international gateways and a major driver of global and regional economy.
• San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge (Crossing the San Francisco Bay, the bridge links downtown San Francisco on the western shore with Oakland and the East Bay on the eastern side) – 43M vehicles yearly, serving as a vital corridor linking San Francisco and the East Bay, supporting regional mobility and economic activity.
• Highway 1 (Runs along the coastline from south to north, connecting major cities and scenic regions along the Pacific Ocean) – 650+ mile coastal highway, connecting communities and supporting tourism along scenic routes like Big Sur across California’s Pacific Coast.
• U.S. Route 101 (A 1,535-mile highway running along the Pacific Coast from Los Angeles, Calif., north through Oregon and Washington to Tumwater, Wash.) – 1,535‑mile highway linking Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and the Pacific Northwest, serving as a major freight, passenger, and tourism corridor.
• Ports of Los Angeles (Located in San Pedro Bay, 25 miles south of downtown) – $300B+ annual cargo, 1M+ jobs supported, nation’s busiest container port, serving as the leading Western Hemisphere gateway for global trade.
• Port of Long Beach (Long Beach) – Premier U.S. gateway for trans-Pacific trade, it handles $300 billion in trade annually and supports 2.7 million U.S. jobs, including 1.6 million in California.
• Yosemite Regional Transportation System (Yosemite National Park) – Spans 480 square miles, providing transit access throughout Yosemite and connecting visitors to key destinations across the park and surrounding region.
• SR 91 Express Lanes (Orange County) – First fully automated tolled lanes in the U.S., launched as a public-private partnership to improve traffic flow and corridor efficiency.
• Alameda County Boundary to Richmond Road - California Federal-Aid Road Project No. 3 (A 2.5 mile segment from Albany at the Alameda County line north to Richmond in Contra Costa County) – Completed in 1918, it's the first federal-aid highway project, launching the federal-state partnership shaping U.S. roadbuilding.

The multi-modal compilation includes 79 bridges and tunnels, 68 highways and streets, 35 ports and waterways, 36 rail and public transit systems, 24 airports, four trails, three pedestrian bridges, and one energy pipeline.

“America’s success story in its first 250 years is inextricably tied to how we move,” said ARTBA President Dave Bauer. “While thousands of transportation projects from coast to coast have contributed to the tapestry of the American experience, the projects we are highlighting teach a timeless lesson that strategic infrastructure investment pays dividends for many decades.”

The list was developed based on responses to a national survey sent to transportation design and construction firms, state transportation departments, state construction associations, university professors, and construction industry journalists. The projects, systems and facilities were selected based on their significant impacts on overall quality of life, including mobility, safety, and economic growth.

While the anniversary offers an opportunity to celebrate past achievements, ARTBA emphasized that it is also a reminder that America’s transportation story is far from complete.

"The roads, bridges, ports and waterways, airports and rail systems that Americans depend on today exist because previous generations had the vision and commitment to invest in the future," Bauer said. “At the dawn of the next 250 years, we must continue investing in the infrastructure systems that will connect communities, strengthen our competitiveness, and improve quality of life for the next chapter of the American story."

The full list is available at www.artba.org/250projects

Established in 1902, ARTBA brings together all facets of the transportation construction industry to advocate for infrastructure investment and policies that support the safe and efficient movement of people and goods. ARTBA is a strategic partner of United Contractors.