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 lane reductions for the ongoing U.S. Highway 50 Camino Safety Project have been removed for the Labor Day holiday weekend.
All lanes of Highway 50 are open today and will remain open until 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6 throughout the project limits from Still Meadows Road to upper Carson Road. The Camino Heights Drive intersection is scheduled to remain open to left turns during this time, barring safety concerns such as illegal U-turns on the highway. The roundabout being constructed to connect to the new Pondorado Road undercrossing is closed.
Highway electronic overhead messages for the “Trip to Green” Highway 50 signals pilot operation through Placerville will run throughout the holiday weekend from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. today through Monday, Sept. 5.
Portable message boards are being utilized on eastbound and westbound Highway 50 to direct motorists to Apple Hill farm exits. The eastbound Highway 50 overhead message board at Point View Drive also will direct Apple Hill traffic to use exits 49 and 54 this weekend.
The $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 access to cross Highway 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 project is scheduled to be completed 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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