When will Highway 50 construction finally be completed? Here’s the latest timeline
The complex widening of U.S. Highway 50 from downtown Sacramento east to Watt Avenue is progressing as planned and is expected to be completed in the summer of 2025, according to Caltrans.
“The project is going well and as scheduled,” Caltrans spokesperson Ochoa Sanchez said in an email. “There have been delays related to weather not being cooperative, last winter was very rainy, however, work was still able to continue with little delay. Even now, under extreme heat conditions, workers are out there doing their job.”
The “Fix 50” project began its planning stages in 2017 and has affected drivers in and around Sacramento since construction started in 2021.
Drivers have navigated the 7.5 miles of construction, lane changes, varying access to on- and off-ramps, slower speeds and construction while traversing the five segments of the project. Crashes spiked on Highway 50 during construction.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, Caltrans said construction should be completed in roughly 12 months, which means the widened freeway could be open and operating by the end of next summer.
“We are aiming to have this project completed by summer 2025, as we depend on weather, availability on materials and equipment, we rather use summer 2025 for the completion date,” Sanchez said.
The project aims to create high-occupancy vehicle lanes, incentivize drivers to ride share and shorten travel times throughout the region.
Caltrans also said the existing PCC pavement used on Highway 50 has reached the end of its service life after being installed between 1967 and 1971. A pavement condition survey revealed there is “severe slab cracking and faulting” in the third and fourth lanes in both directions, and minor cracking in the first and second lanes of each direction.
The project will also increase vertical clearance at seven overcrossing structures to improve freight mobility. Sound walls were built to limit noise between Stockton Boulevard and 65th Street
Despite the rain during the past two winters leading to delays, the estimate of the project’s cost remains the same at $483.5 million, Caltrans said.
The funding is coming from the SHOPP Roadway Rehabilitation Program ($365.2 million); Sacramento Measure A Transportation Sales Tax Program managed by the Sacramento Transportation Authority ($28.4 million); and the Solutions for Congested Corridors Program by the State of California’s Senate Bill 1, or SB1 ($90 million).
The construction has led to regular changes along each side of Highway 50 since construction began, and Caltrans urges drivers to be aware and drive safely throughout the area.
“Our main concern always, is the safety of the workers and the drivers, we can’t stress enough how important it is for drivers to follow the 55-mph speed limit in the construction zone. Besides the safety component, this helps the project to stay on schedule,” Sanchez said.
This story was originally published August 1, 2024 at 1:19 PM.
