How to avoid the Highway 99 closure in Sacramento: Commuter tips and alternate routes
There are four words sure to keep Elk Grove commuters awake at night: Highway 99 is closed.
From 8 p.m. Friday until 4 a.m. June 16 — that’s more than 100 hours — Caltrans is closing Highway 99 to all traffic from 47th Avenue to the Capital City Freeway connector to replace the aging bridge deck at 21st Avenue.
“The work is imperative to continue to provide a safe route,” say Caltrans officials, who are telling motorists to use Interstate 5 and avoid 99 for the project to repair the 62-year-old span.
Welcome to our Carmageddon, but we can get through it.
Angela DaPrato, spokeswoman for Caltrans, warns that the closure will have a ripple effect on highways throughout the county and on major surface streets as well.
DaPrato’s advice: Have a plan. Take extra time. Leave earlier. Telecommute if you can.
“Be patient. Expect traffic delays,” DaPrato said.”This is one of the biggest full highway closures in the region in a long time. You are going to see extra traffic on interstates and (surface streets). This is going to affect the whole Sacramento region. Plan your commute with extra time in mind.
“We are urging people to do errands before or after the closure, and we’re urging people to telecommute on that Monday and Tuesday,” DaPrato said.
Take Sacramento Regional Transit or Elk Grove e-tran bus service. SacRT light rail is free Saturday, June 12 through June 15. We have more details below.
With Highway 99 closed, I-5 will be slow-and-go heading into Sacramento, but there are a number of alternate northbound routes from east and west Elk Grove.
We’re here to provide a few driving options, but, remember, this is far from a definitive list and, as always, “alternate” does not mean “shortcut.” You’ll have to bake more time into your commute. Check online for traffic updates and for construction delays before you head out.
Here’s seven ways to get to Sac and back.
Interstate 5
Caltrans recommends northbound commuters from Elk Grove and Wilton use I-5 to Sacramento. Drivers can connect to I-5 from Elk Grove Boulevard, Laguna Boulevard/Bond Road and Cosumnes River Boulevard/Calvine Road.
Franklin Boulevard
Accessible from Laguna and Elk Grove boulevards as well as Whitelock Parkway to the south, Franklin Boulevard is a straight shot into Sacramento. But it’s not an expressway. Franklin is a surface street that comes with its own bottlenecks and stop-and-go traffic, especially in the first few miles north out of Elk Grove. Plan accordingly. Franklin Boulevard ends at Broadway in Sacramento.
Elk Grove Florin Road
Elk Grove Florin Road northbound becomes South Watt Avenue at Florin Road.
Turn left at either Florin Road, Elder Creek Road or Fruitridge Road to connect to northbound Stockton Boulevard.
Stay north on Elk Grove Florin/South Watt to reach Watt Avenue to connect to either Highway 50 or north to Fair Oaks Boulevard/J Street.
Power Inn Road
Another straight shot, this time to Highway 50 and Howe Avenue near Sacramento State, but with several connecting roads.
A left onto Florin from Power Inn takes you to northbound Stockton Boulevard. A left farther north onto Elder Creek Road or Fruitridge Road takes you onto the 65th Street Expressway to Broadway.
Grant Line Road
Construction slows traffic on Grant Line from Waterman Road to Bradshaw Road, but the road work clears out as you head further east. Kammerer Road will also be closed to Lent Ranch Parkway for construction, so a better bet for central and west Elk Grove drivers will be to access Grant Line from East Stockton Boulevard.
Take Grant Line east to Sunrise Boulevard to go to Rancho Cordova. In Rancho Cordova, turn left onto Folsom Boulevard or head straight onto the Highway 50 onramp to get to Sacramento.
Turn left from Grant Line onto Highway 16/Jackson Road to reach Watt Avenue, lower Folsom Boulevard, Power Inn Road, Sacramento State University or Howe Avenue.
Bradshaw Road
Eastbound Elk Grove Boulevard, Bond, Sheldon and Calvine roads connect to Bradshaw Road. Northbound Bradshaw Road crosses Highway 50 and ends at Folsom Boulevard in Rancho Cordova.
Turn left from Bradshaw onto Highway 16/Jackson Road to reach Watt Avenue, lower Folsom Boulevard, Power Inn Road, Sacramento State University or Howe Avenue.
Free light rail
Sacramento Regional Transit is providing free light rail service during the closure, Saturday through Tuesday.
Said RT spokeswoman Devra Selenis: “It allows us to help relieve traffic congestion, and it gives people an opportunity to try transit and see how convenient it is.”
To ride light rail for free, riders must show the fare inspector a free rider flyer, available at FixSac99.com or sacrt.com/fixsac99. For information on routes, station locations and schedules visit www.sacrt.com.
Masks are required on trains and buses. Light rail 15-minute service starts a little after 5 a.m.
For Elk Grove-area residents, the Cosumnes River College light rail station has a park-pay-and-ride lot on campus, but it costs $2 per day. RT officials advise riders instead to drive to the Franklin Boulevard light rail station which has 668 free parking spaces. The Meadowview Road station has free parking as well.
SacRT expects to have plenty of capacity on its system for riders during the shutdown. Ridership had dipped dramatically during COVID-19 and, although rising, is at just under 50% of pre-COVID normal.
SacRT warns commuters in other areas, not just Elk Grove, to consider taking light rail to avoid likely congestion and slowdowns on other local freeways, including Highway 50, Business 80 and Interstate 5.
Traffic help
Find out about current road conditions using Caltrans’ “Caltrans QuickMap” at quickmap.dot.ca.gov/ or download the free QuickMap app on the App Store or Google Play. Motorists also can call the California Highway Information Network automated phone service at 1-800-427-ROAD (7623).
This story was originally published June 9, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
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