District: District 3 - Marysville
Contact: Steve Nelson (Caltrans District 3), Carla Hass (El Dorado County)
Phone: (530) 632-0080, (916) 293-2046
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAMINO – Caltrans District 3 and the El Dorado County Department of Transportation are notifying the traveling public that the section of Carson Road within the ongoing U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) Camino Safety Project reopened to traffic Thursday morning.
Carson Road between Robindale Drive and Carson Court had been closed since July 18 in order for the contractor, Security Paving, Inc., to work with heavy equipment to build the new roadway.
The full closure of Carson Road minimized long-term staging disruptions and expedited the work to reconstruct Carson Road and Carson Court, which connect to the new Pondorado Undercrossing being built. Work continues on the south side of the highway to construct a roundabout and other county road improvements.
Work began Thursday morning to grind and pave Highway 50 throughout the 3-mile project limits, which is from Still Meadows Road on the west end to upper Carson Road on the east end. Concrete median barrier work also continues on the highway, which is reduced to one lane in each direction.
This $55.4 million safety project consists of constructing a continuous 56-inch-high median barrier on US 50 that will restrict left turns at all at-grade intersections, building an undercrossing that will provide a safe way for traffic to cross US 50, improving drainage, replacing two El Dorado Irrigation water lines, building a wildlife undercrossing, repaving the highway, and improvements to county roads.
Caltrans has collaborated with the El Dorado County Department of Transportation, El Dorado Irrigation District and the El Dorado County Transportation Commission on the project, with the county providing $7.3 million in funding for local road improvements.
The US 50 intersection at Camino Heights Drive is scheduled to remain open to left turns until the undercrossing is open to traffic. There will be two access points for emergency responders needing to cross the highway after the project is completed, which is anticipated by the end of this year.
The construction schedule is subject to change based on weather, the availability of crews and equipment or other unexpected events.
The project includes $3.4 million in funding from Senate Bill 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017. SB 1 provides $5 billion in transportation funding annually split between the state and local agencies. Road projects progress through construction phases more quickly based on the availability of SB 1 funds, including projects that are partially funded by SB 1. For more information about other projects funded by SB 1, visit Rebuilding California.
Caltrans District 3 is responsible for 4,385 highway lane miles in 11 Sacramento Valley and Northern Sierra counties. The El Dorado County Department of Transportation is responsible for 1,083 centerline miles of roadway and 76 bridges.
For project updates, follow Caltrans District 3 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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