Riverside County's half-cent transportation sales tax could lose its expiration date on Nov. 3.

Measure A, which has funded road and transit projects across the county since 1988, is set to sunset in 2039. Voters will decide whether to extend it indefinitely or let the clock run out, according to Patch. The measure needs a two-thirds supermajority to pass.

The stakes are local. Since 2009, Measure A has sent more than $41 million to Murrieta for street repairs and road projects, according to the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC). Neighboring Temecula has received $51.5 million over the same period.

What Measure A pays for

The tax was first approved in 1988 and renewed by voters in 2002. RCTC says the current renewal has raised more than $2.9 billion since 2009. Patch reported the tax has generated almost $5 billion since its inception, a figure covering the full 1988-to-present period.

Supporters pointed to expansion and upgrades on Highways 111, 74 and 62, plus improvements to Interstate 10 and the Riverside (91) Freeway, according to campaign literature cited by Patch. Funding has also gone to pothole repairs, lane additions, sidewalk installations, railroad crossing safety measures and bridge repairs.

One completed project hits close to home for I-15 commuters. RCTC, partnering with Caltrans and the Federal Highway Administration, built 15 miles of tolled express lanes in the Interstate 15 median between Route 60 in Jurupa Valley/Eastvale and Cajalco Road in Corona. That $472 million project wrapped up in 2021.

RCTC and other agencies have also worked to establish express lanes on the 91 Freeway and to widen and reconfigure transition ramps, according to campaign literature.

Arguments for and against

Supporters wrote in campaign literature that a yes vote would "cut traffic, speed up road repairs and make it cheaper, faster, safer and easier to get around Riverside County -- without raising taxes." They called Riverside County one of the nation's fastest-growing counties and warned that without Measure A, "gridlock and air pollution will only get worse."

Opponents struck a different tone in the county voter guide. They wrote that the county "still suffers from severe congestion, deteriorating roads and major transportation bottlenecks (despite Measure A)." They argued the extension would continue the half-cent levy past 2039 with no new sunset date, adding: "Taxpayers deserve results — not another promise that the next round of tax collections will finally fix problems that previous collections were supposed to address."

What happens either way

If the measure fails, the existing half-cent tax stays in place through 2039. No increase to the tax rate is proposed. Any future rate increase would require a separate voter approval, according to Patch.

RCTC, made up of elected officials from Riverside County's 28 cities and the county Board of Supervisors, decides how the revenue is allocated. Independent audits of spending are conducted annually, according to the commission. No more than 1% of Measure A revenues go toward administrative salaries and benefits, the commission says on its website.

Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.