Sky River traffic heavy for Elk Grove casino’s opening, but police report few problems
Elk Grove police Monday said opening weekend traffic heading into the new Sky River Casino was busy, but that officers reported few issues.
“Friday and Saturday night seemed to be the busiest (but) weekday evenings went well,” said department spokesman Sgt. Jason Jimenez on Monday.
The $500 million casino at Promenade Parkway and Kammerer Road just west of Highway 99 debuted in a surprise late-night opening Aug. 15, and has seen large crowds in the days since, with cars snaking in long lines from Highway 99 into Sky River.
“We’re evaluating all of our traffic plans to make sure traffic flows appropriately and to make sure we have a presence in those neighborhoods and to make sure they’re safe,” Elk Grove police chief Bobby Davis said last week as Sky River Casino entered its opening weekend and as some residents complained of casino goers driving through and parking in nearby neighborhoods.
Over the weekend, that meant pylons, message boards and Elk Grove police posted along Promenade Parkway to help guide traffic along with traffic advisories on social media reminding visitors that Sky River will shut down casino parking lots when they reach full capacity.
On Nextdoor and other social media, reviews appeared mixed between those frustrated that they couldn’t get into the casino; to others who counseled patience during Sky River’s first weekend as staff worked out opening-week kinks; to yet others who compared the casino opening to the busy holiday shopping season and to plan accordingly.
Police chief Davis had said he anticipated crowds to be “pretty significant for several weeks,” adding, “We want to make sure we provide all the services we can and to make sure neighborhoods are safe.”
Sky River CEO Chris Gibase said ahead of last week’s opening that traffic would be an early issue and that officials and local law enforcement had been working on a plan to control congestion.
“One of the main concerns I’ve always had is traffic,” Gibase said last week during a media tour of the venue. “If you’ve seen other(casino) openings, traffic has been backed up for many miles. We’re right on Highway 99 and we don’t want to see traffic backed up there, so there’s a very extensive plan for traffic control to get people in and out of this property safely and securely.”
This story was originally published August 22, 2022 at 2:58 PM.
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