Reps. Garamendi, Thompson introduce bill to spur protection of transportation assets

MTC last week accomplished one of its top federal advocacy priorities for 2026 when North Bay U.S. Representatives John Garamendi and Mike Thompson introduced in Congress their Accelerating Demonstration Approaches for Protecting Transportation Assets Act.

Also known as the ADAPT Assets Act, H.R. 8653 would provide as much as $10 billion in federal funding over five years for up to 10 grants to advance large-scale demonstration projects around the country that protect critical transportation infrastructure from rising sea levels or other natural hazards.

"The Bay Area is on the front lines of natural degradation due to flood and fire risk,"
said Rep. Garamendi at a Tuesday afternoon press conference at which he was joined by MTC Executive Director Andrew Fremier, MTC Vice Chair and Marin County Stephanie Moulton-Peters, Joshua Arce of the California Alliance for Jobs, San Francisco Estuary Partnership Director Caitlin Sweeney and others at a Solano County site bordered by the San Pablo Baylands and State Route 37.

"Protecting the Bay Area shoreline from flooding through 2050 is projected to cost $100 billion," continued Rep. Garamendi. "The ADAPT Assets Act is designed to reduce costs while accelerating essential infrastructure repairs that our local economies and communities depend on. This legislation will strengthen our infrastructure, create good-paying union jobs, lower long-term costs, and expedite progress while employing workers across our community."

"Our communities can’t afford to wait around for infrastructure support," observed Rep. Thompson. "As fires, floods and other natural disasters get worse, we need to invest in repairing and strengthening our infrastructure now. I'm proud to work with my colleague, Rep. Garamendi, to introduce the ADAPT Assets Act to jumpstart important infrastructure investments across our country and here at home.”

"There is a real urgency for communities across the North Bay and around the Bay Area to protect our valuable but vulnerable transportation assets," said Ms. Moulton-Peters. "This same urgency is felt in other communities around the country. But system-level projects — like those planned for the Highway 37 corridor — too often are stalled because funding is siloed and there is no clear, replicable blueprint for delivering these complex, multi-benefit projects at scale."

This is the problem Reps. Garamendi and Thompson aim to solve with the ADAPT Assets Act, explained Moulton-Peters. "The solutions planned for Highway 37 are well-suited to compete for an ADAPT grant. MTC, Caltrans, the North Bay transportation agencies, state resource agencies and all the other Resilient 37 partners are committed to the long-range transformation of the entire corridor in a way that will support the North Bay workforce day in and day out; serve the whole Bay Area in a time of emergency; and promote the restoration of the historic San Pablo Baylands. We’re delighted that Congressman Garamendi and Congressman Thompson share this commitment."