New trail would let Folsom cyclists cross Highway 50 without fear of car crashes
Folsom’s City Council has approved a plan to build the first cross-freeway bike trail in the city near Old Placerville Road, which would connect pedestrian and bike trails north of Highway 50 — including the American River Parkway — with trails south of the highway.
On Dec. 9, the council voted unanimously to approve moving forward with the Highway 50 undercrossing plan near East Bidwell Street. The $572,000 request for preliminary engineering and design was on the council’s consent calendar, which is made up of items that do not require a public discussion.
Folsom’s Active Transportation Plan designated this project as a high priority, and city staff wrote that it would close a “critical gap.” Cyclists must now cross the freeway while sharing road space with drivers. Southbound drivers on Old Placerville Road are warned as they approach the freeway undercrossing that they should slow to 45 mph. That speed poses significant risk in the event of a collision involving a pedestrian or cyclist. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that when a driver strikes a pedestrian at 42 mph, the average risk that the pedestrian will die is 50%.
City staff had requested $572,000 in local funds to cover preliminary engineering and design. Most of that money — almost $500,000 — is budgeted for the engineering firm that won the contract, Wood Rodgers Inc.
Construction is currently expected to cost $1.7 million out of a total project cost of $2.2 million. City staff wrote that they anticipated workers would begin building in the spring of 2027. The city already won a $1.3 million grant for construction from the Sacramento Area Council of Governments. The council would have to accept the SACOG grant after the California Transportation Commission has approved the project.
The funding for the engineering and design phase will come from the Folsom Plan Area Impact Fees, the Transportation Development Act Fund and from Measure A, a county sales tax that funds transportation projects.
This project would directly connect to an existing fully separated bike and pedestrian path south of Highway 50 that runs parallel to the train tracks at Old Placerville Road. Within the city, staff wrote there are 55 miles of fully separated trails north of the freeway and 30 planned or existing miles to the south.
