Fix50 closure will keep this Sacramento connector out of service starting tonight

A key freeway connector in Sacramento will close for 15 hours this weekend as construction continues on the Fix50 project, Caltrans officials said.

The connector from eastbound Highway 50 on the W-X Freeway to the northbound Capital City Freeway — signed Business 80 and known legislatively as unsigned Highway 51 — is scheduled to shut down at 10 p.m. Friday and reopen at 1 p.m. Saturday, according to Caltrans District 3.

The closure was originally planned for April 24 but was “postponed due to a power outage at the contractor’s asphalt plant,” officials said. A similar 15-hour closure last month wrapped up ahead of schedule.

The work is part of the final phase of the $511 million Highway 50 Multimodal Corridor Enhancement project, known as Fix50. Crews are now focused on rehabilitating the connector at the busy interchange after completing major work along the main highway.

Motorists should expect delays and plan ahead, Caltrans said. The detour route suggested by highway officials:

• Continue eastbound on Highway 50
• Take the 65th Street exit (Exit 8B) and turn left
• Use the loop on-ramp to westbound Highway 50
• Continue to the connector ramp for eastbound Capital City Freeway

Most motorists are likely to take Watt Avenue or another north-south corridor to cut across Arden Arcade and join Interstate 80.

The broader project is rehabilitating pavement and adding 14 miles of carpool lanes between Interstate 5 and Watt Avenue.

The work zone speed limit remains reduced to 55 mph, and the California Highway Patrol will be present for enforcement, officials said.

Construction on the Fix50 project began in 2021 and is now expected to finish up this summer — about a year later than originally planned, according to previous Sacramento Bee reporting. The project’s cost has also increased significantly, rising by nearly $100 million from earlier estimates as work stretched into a fifth year.