Sacramento’s newest road connects Highway 99 to airport. What you need to know
Travelers have a new way to access Sacramento International Airport, just in time for summer travel.
The Elkhorn Boulevard extension opened on May 21, connecting Highway 99 in North Natomas to the airport.
“Spanning approximately one mile, this extension boasts four lanes, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, ramps, a traffic signal and signage,” the Sacramento airport said in an Instagram post on May 21.
“This project will really help us because it’s giving us an extra entrance and exit from the airport,” Scott Johnston, Sacramento County Department of Airports spokesman, said Friday.
What is new road project at Sacramento airport?
The project involved extending Elkhorn Boulevard from Metro Air Park to Airport Boulevard by approximately 5,900 linear feet.
Elkhorn Boulevard previously ended at Power Line Road.
Construction crews also added a “roundabout at Crossfield Drive, a 32-acre detention basin in the eastern portion of the site, a new traffic signal at the intersection of Power Line Road and Elkhorn Boulevard, surface improvements and a wet utility connection,” the website said.
The project, which kicked off in April 2023, cost $14.5 million, The Sacramento Bee reported at the time.
Around $11 million of the funding for the new road came from state transportation funds.
How will Elkhorn Boulevard extension affect traffic?
Before the Elkhorn Boulevard extension opened, drivers just had one entrance into the airport.
The ongoing construction throughout Sacramento would sometimes “bleed out into freeways” and would cause “backups” at the airport, Johnston said.
The new Elkhorn Boulevard extension means that travelers are now connected directly to the airport through Highway 99.
Travelers can “take the Elkhorn extension all the way across from (Highway) 99, which will allow them to avoid the Interstate 5 entrance,” Johnston said.
The Elkhorn Boulevard entrance also connects travelers to the airport’s free waiting lot near the ampm gas station, according to Johnston and the airport.
“Next time you’re picking someone up, remember to wait there instead of circling around,” the airport said in its Instagram post. “It’s a win-win for efficiency and convenience.”