Back-Seat Driver: I-5 closures aren't the only problem

Some readers were surprised to see crews installing concrete construction barriers last week next to the fast lanes on the Capital City Freeway over the American River.

Time out here, said one reader, Doug Vanderkar.

Aren't we just 18 days away from the epic closure of Interstate 5 in downtown Sacramento for major repairs – a project Caltrans officials acknowledge may cause areawide freeway snarls, including on the already congested Capital City Freeway?

"Why pinch down Bus(iness)-80 now?" Vanderkar asks. "Why make a horrible situation worse?"

Caltrans officials say they really don't want to do this project at the same time as I-5 closures, but they had signed the contracts and set the schedule before they knew what their I-5 program would be.

The work, replacing the median barrier, will involve closing the fast lanes in each direction at times, but it will be done nights, not during commute or daytime.

Caltrans has its collective fingers crossed the work won't add to the expected I-5 ripple effect.

If it does? Workers have been given the word: Pick up the cones, pull out the trucks and let the traffic flow.

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Highway officials, however, definitely will shut down their current repair project on I-5 between Pocket Road and the Highway 50 interchange south of downtown.

That one's just a little too close to the project site for The Big Fix in the sunken section of I-5 downtown.

"We wrote that into the contract - it has to shut down May 30," Caltrans' Mark Dinger said.

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Caltrans isn't the only agency playing road repair roulette this month. Sacramento city crews are closing down a lane each day for maintenance work on the Howe Avenue bridge.

City officials say they had it planned - including getting special river work permits - before Caltrans announced its I-5 schedule, so they are going ahead with the work. The lane closures will take place during a busy period: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

City spokeswoman Linda Tucker says officials don't think it will add to the I-5 closure woes.

The project was scheduled to continue into July. But Friday, the city sent word it now hopes to finish before the I-5 closure.

Reader Frank Loge says the city would do well to make good on that. There aren't a whole lot of river crossings into and out of downtown.Capital City Freeway is one. The Howe Avenue bridge is another.

"Anytime even a single lane on that bridge is closed, it's a nightmare," Loge said.

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Then there is West El Camino Avenue in Natomas.

City officials say they may shut down the street near Northgate Boulevard any week now to rebuild a bridge over the drainage canal. Unfortunately, El Camino is a likely candidate for at least some detour traffic from nearby I-5.

City officials say they need to do the work when state regulators allow them to.

Traffic will be diverted south to the Arden-Garden Connector. If you're thinking about the connector as an I-5 detour, you may be in a crowd.

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For more information about the I-5 project, including Caltrans' closure schedules and possible alternate routes, check out sacbee.com/i5.

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• E-mail your transportation concerns to backseat@sacbee.com or call The Bee's Tony Bizjak at (916) 321-1059. Please leave your name and a telephone number.