District: District 3 - Marysville
Contact: Raquel Borrayo
Phone: (530) 634-7640; (530) 701-5209
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEVADA COUNTY – Caltrans is alerting motorists of two new projects to reduce rock slides on westbound Interstate 80 east of Floriston in Nevada County.
The $7 million Acid Flat rockfall project is from 0.2 mile east of the Truckee River Bridge to 0.8 mile west of the Farad Undercrossing. This project is expected to begin mid-May with completion in September. The $2.5 million Farad rockfall project is just east of the first project location on I-80. Construction on this project has just begun with completion anticipated in May.
To prevent slope erosion and materials from the mountainside from falling onto the westbound I-80 shoulders and roadway, construction crews will install draped mesh on the slope and perform rock scaling. Installation of the draped mesh will also limit maintenance workers’ exposure to traffic and improve safety for motorists traveling from Nevada to California.
Motorists may expect westbound lane reductions in the project areas with some travel delays for rock scaling or blasting activities. The California Highway Patrol will be escorting westbound traffic from the Nevada state line and eastbound traffic from Hirschdale Road through the construction zone in a round-robin fashion Wednesday and Thursday this week between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m during rock-scaling activities. Motorists may expect temporary traffic holds of 30 minutes or less.
Neil's Controlled Blasting of Newcastle, Calif. and Road and Highway Builders of Sparks, Nev. are the contractors. Due to the nature of the work, construction activities are limited to daytime hours with lane reductions expected Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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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