Caltrans unveils three-year, $370 million highway construction project

The California Department of Transportation held a ceremony Tuesday commencing the start of a $370 million plan to help reconstruct Interstate 5, according to a release from the department.

The goal of the project, which is being referred to as the SAC 5 Corridor Enhancement Project, is to reduce congestion on I-5, by installing 67 miles of new and rehabilitated lanes. The project will start a mile south of Elk Grove Boulevard and continue to the American River viaduct, just north of downtown Sacramento, as previously reported by The Sacramento Bee.

An additional 23 miles of carpool lanes – also known as High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes – will be added. The addition of carpool lanes is expected to increase ride-sharing to help reduce the amount of time spent on the road.

The project will also help to improve ADA ramps, construct two sound walls so that neighbors will not be bothered by the noise, and install a fiber optics line. The project is also expected to make a number of other improvements throughout the city, including environmental benefits through recycling old concrete pavement on site to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during construction, according to the release.

The construction is planned in preparation for several thousand housing units that will be popping up in the Delta Shores area of Sacramento over the coming years.

The groundbreaking event was led by David S. Kim, Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency, and included speeches by several dignitaries, including Congressman Ami Bera.

Kim said it is the biggest highway project to occur in Sacramento since the original I-5 project was completed in 1975.

The project is expected to be completed by December 2022, but Kim is adamant that the wait will be well worth it.

“Peak commute times for those in carpool lanes should be reduced by 13 minutes. Drivers in other lanes will shave about 7 minutes off of their commute” Kim said. “The partnership will extend the life of I-5 above use for another 40 years. By the time this project is done, I-5 will be the envy of other states.”