District: District 3 – Marysville
Contact: Raquel Borrayo
Phone: (530) 634-7640; (530) 701-5209
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COLFAX – Today Caltrans and its partners celebrated the completion of the $53.8 million Interstate 80 Truck Climbing Project near Colfax with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The project, which includes a new three-mile truck climbing lane located on I-80, improves traffic flow and increases motorist safety on this stretch of highway between the Long Ravine Railroad Overcrossing and the Alpine Overcrossing.
“Prior to the new truck climbing lane, we would see significant traffic congestion as large vehicles slowed while climbing the 6 percent grade,” said District 3 Director Amarjeet S. Benipal. “The improvements to Interstate 80 allow trucks, buses and RV’s to travel through the area safely while reducing the risk of rear-end collisions between cars and slow-moving vehicles.”
Joining in the celebration were California Trucking Association Member President Joe Giammona, California Highway Patrol Lieutenant Frank Newman, and Placer County Supervisors Jim Holmes (District 3) and Cindy Gustafson (District 5)
Teichert Construction of Sacramento was the prime contractor for the project, which began construction in Spring 2016.
This stretch of Interstate 80 carries an average of 37,000 passenger vehicles per day. As part of the federally designated freight highway system, 5,600 trucks also transport goods daily.
Features of the project include:
- A three-mile-long designated third eastbound lane for large trucks, buses, and RVs;
- Increased 10-foot shoulders on both the outside and inside lanes, providing a safety buffer on the highway;
- Structure upgrades for the Cape Horn Overcrossing;
- A 1,100-foot retaining wall at the Magra Road Undercrossing;
- A 300-foot retaining wall in the active Gillis Fault zone;
- Upgrades to the storm drain system with new drains to filter out debris and runoff sediment before it reaches local waterways;
- And a smoother ride for motorists with a new asphalt concrete overlay.
Dozens of projects are under development or are in construction within District 3 including those funded by SB 1, which provides an additional $5 billion each year in state and local funding. SB 1 funds will enable Caltrans to fix more than 17,000 lane miles of pavement, 500 bridges and 55,000 culverts by 2027. To date thanks to SB 1, Caltrans has completed 102 projects, including repairing or replacing nearly 1,500 lane miles.
Caltrans is committed to conducting its business in a fully transparent manner and detailing its progress to the public. For complete details on SB 1, visit Rebuilding California.
Caltrans District 3 maintains more than 4,385 lanes miles of state highway in 11 Sacramento Valley and Northern Sierra counties. More information and updates on local projects can be found here or on Twitter via @CaltransDist3 and on Facebook at CaltransDistrict3.
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