Regional Freight Planning

Over the next several decades, the Central Coast region can expect to see significant increases in freight movement due to both population increases and a continued expansion of the region’s agricultural production. As a result of this demand for freight by both the local and national population increases, a focus on enhancing the efficiency, safety, asset management, connectivity, resiliency and sustainability of the region’s goods movement system is critical to supporting the economic health of the region and the quality of life for its residents. Given the importance freight and goods movement has in this region AMBAG has conducted planning efforts focused on the enhancement of freight mobility.

In 2023, AMBAG began preparing the California Central Coast Sustainable Freight Study which was completed in 2024. This study builds upon and updates AMBAG’s 2016 US 101 Central Coast California Freight Strategy, and includes new State and Federal imperatives found in the California State Transportation Agency’s (CalSTA) Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure (CAPTI), the California Transportation Plan 2050, the Federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, and other key state and federal documents.