District: District 3 - Marysville
Contact: Steve Nelson
Phone: (530) 741-4566
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEYERS — Caltrans and partner agencies today celebrated the completion of the first highway roundabout in El Dorado County, at the intersection of U.S. Highway 50 and State Route 89 in Meyers.
Caltrans District 3 staff was joined by El Dorado County Supervisor Sue Novasel, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Executive Director Joanne Marchetta, Tahoe Transportation District Board Chairman Steve Teshara, Q&D Construction Vice President Jeff Bean and project team members in officially recognizing the completion of the $7.3 project.
“We’ve greatly improved safety for motorists by converting this intersection into a roundabout, which significantly reduces the number and the severity of collisions compared to a traditional intersection,” said Caltrans District 3 Director Amarjeet S. Benipal. “This project is in line with Caltrans’ mission to provide a safe, sustainable, integrated and efficient transportation system.”
The intersection saw a higher rate of collisions than the state average, which prompted a safety project funded by the State Highway Operation and Protection Program (SHOPP). There were 21 collisions in a five-year period from January 2014 through December 2018.
Roundabouts reduce collisions by as much as 36 percent due to the fewer number of conflict points compared to a standard intersection. Fatal crashes are reduced by as much as 90 percent, according to the Federal Highway Administration.
Caltrans District 3 maintains more than 4,385 lanes miles of state highway in 11 Sacramento Valley and Northern Sierra counties. Follow Caltrans Distric3 3 on Twitter @CaltransDist3 and on Facebook at CaltransDistrict3.
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