A Christmas gift on Sacramento freeway: No more lane splits on eastbound Highway 50
Sacramento drivers have one more reason to celebrate this holiday season: Caltrans announced that the lane splits that interrupted the flow of traffic on Highway 50 have been removed in eastbound lanes.
As of last week, drivers can travel seven miles between Watt Avenue and Interstate 5 without being funneled into a lane split: All four lanes are open. On Facebook, Caltrans said, “Enjoy the holiday season.”
Caltrans’ construction project, known as “Fix 50,” is replacing pavement and adding one lane in each direction over about 7 miles of Highway 50. The project has caused frustration and headaches for drivers since 2021 and is now behind schedule and over budget. In 2022, Caltrans said the project was scheduled for completion in late 2024 or early 2025 and that the estimated price tag was $433 million; in June of this year, KCRA broke the news that construction wouldn’t be finished until summer 2026, and that Caltrans expected the cost to be $529 million.
The KVIE news outlet Abridged reported Dec. 3 that the construction delay was partly explained by rejected concrete. A Caltrans spokesperson declined to comment on the concrete Tuesday, saying the agency expected litigation over the matter.
