A new Costco opens Thursday in Elk Grove. Expect big traffic delays, city warns

Elk Grove will celebrate the long-awaited grand opening of a new 150,000-square-foot Costco store on Thursday.

Commuters passing through one of the city’s major intersections will likely do a lot less celebrating.

With the store’s opening establishing The Ridge, a major new shopping center at the corner of Bruceville Road and Elk Grove Boulevard, the city warned its nearly 170,000 residents this week to plan accordingly as significant traffic delays are anticipated.

Elk Grove Public Works will monitor traffic flow and may adjust timing on traffic signals for the next few days to cope with high congestion at the intersection, especially eastbound Elk Grove Boulevard and northbound Bruceville Road, the city warned in a recent traffic advisory.

Police will also be actively watching over the area through at least Sunday, according to the advisory.

The store officially opens 8 a.m. Thursday, with a pre-opening celebration at 7:15. The grand opening event on Facebook had about 1,300 RSVPs. Thousands of bulk-food, free-sample and discount gas connoisseurs are sure to filter through the complex that day.

Elk Grove’s new Costco will boast a 24-pump gas station, which could potentially expand later to 30 pumps. The Ridge will offer dozens of other tenants among 14 buildings, according to site plan documents by the city.

The store is open 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. this Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday, and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Elk Grove Costco began hiring in early June, aiming for 100 full-time and 100 part-time employees.

Approved by the city in 2016 and getting the go-ahead for construction last December, the warehouse store will become the sixth Costco in Sacramento County.

The Elk Grove location will be slightly larger than the American chain’s average store size of 144,500 square feet.

This story was originally published September 26, 2018 at 8:42 AM.