On a recent October afternoon, California Transportation Commission (CTC) executive director Andre Boutros gave a crash course in California transportation finance for a group of UCLA students, faculty, and researchers. Boutros sketched an overview of the CTC’s role in allocating over $25 billion worth of state and federal transportation funds, and provided a window into the CTC’s decision-making process as it selects competing transportation projects from around the state.

The intimate talk allowed for an extensive Q&A in which Boutros answered questions about specific projects such as the 405 Corridor Improvement Project, as well as larger questions about the challenges of transportation planning in a time of diminishing funding.

UCLA’s Institute of Transportation Studies will be working with Boutros and the CTC on upcoming research involving a new bill that studies the possibilities around charging drivers by the mile rather than by the gallon.