District: District 3 - Marysville
Contact: Steve Nelson
Phone: (530) 701-9459
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAMINO – Caltrans and its contractor, Security Paving Inc., have started work in the Camino area of U.S. Highway 50 in El Dorado County on a $55.4 million safety project to install center median barriers and associated work.
This project involves installing and also replacing the existing concrete median barrier on Highway 50, increasing the shoulder width of the highway, constructing acceleration/deceleration lanes, building an undercrossing, providing access to the undercrossing from local roads, repairing culverts, and constructing a wildlife crossing under the highway.
The project is on US 50 from the Mosquito Road Undercrossing to the Schnell School Road Undercrossing and from 0.2 miles west of Still Meadow Road to 0.2 miles east of Carson Road. Motorists should expect lane restrictions from 6 a.m.to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
Caltrans is partnering with the El Dorado County Department of Transportation on this project and the County is providing $7.3 million in funding for local road improvements.
Safety improvements are needed because the collision rates along this segment of US 50 are higher than the statewide average. The culverts have exceeded their intended design life and require rehabilitation, and the wildlife crossing is needed to facilitate off-highway movement between the north and south side of US 50. Another purpose of the project is to maintain local and regional access to and from the north and south sides of Highway 50 while providing safe east-west access on and off the highway. Completion is expected in 2022.
Three other projects are in construction along the 50 corridor in El Dorado County, with motorists advised to expect possible delays in these areas as well. A new bridge is being constructed on Highway 50 at Ridgeway Drive in Pollock Pines at a cost of $11.5 million. Completion is expected by the end of the year. The highway is reduced to one lane in each direction.
A 428-foot retaining wall is being built in Fresh Pond to stabilize the slope adjacent to the westbound lanes. This $19 million project is expected to be finished in summer 2021.The highway is reduced to one lane in each direction.
A striping project increased the lane markings from 4 inches in width to 6 inches from the El Dorado County line to Cedar Grove. Work on this project is wrapping up over the next week or so.
Caltrans reminds motorists to Be Work Zone Alert and slow in construction zones for the safety of travelers and crews performing these improvements. Weather or unexpected events may delay or prolong the work. The department will issue construction updates on Twitter @CaltransDist3 and on Facebook at CaltransDistrict3. For real-time traffic, click on Caltrans’ QuickMap or download the QuickMap app from the App Store or Google Play.
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