The Abridged version:
- Contractors are aiming for an August completion date for their massive Fix50 project that goes through the heart of Sacramento.
- Three more weekends of roadwork are planned near the Highway 50 and Business 80 interchange. After that, the project will be in its “final phase,” according to Caltrans.
- Construction on Highway 50 has been underway since 2021, snagging drivers in complicated lane closures and blockaded ramps for the last five years. The project has gone more than two years over its initial timeline.
Three more weekends of lane closures are planned on Highway 50 in Sacramento this month, which Caltrans says should be among the last major disruptions before the Fix50 project wraps up.
Construction on Highway 50 has been underway since 2021. Caltrans took on the massive project to rehabilitate aging parts of the highway and add more lanes along a 7-mile stretch through the heart of Sacramento.
The project has also gone two years over its initial timeline, and the project budget soared from $394 million to $511 million. An Abridged investigation found one cause — rejected concrete that required pavement redos in several locations.
Now, Caltrans says the finish line is in sight.
“I’m happy to say that we’re coming to the end of this nightmare,” said Sergio Ochoa Sánchez, spokesperson for Caltrans’ Fix50 project.
Connector ramp closures among the last major work
The upcoming string of connector ramp closures are anticipated to be among the last of the major visible roadwork seen along Highway 50, according to Caltrans.
Any future changes or closures could still be put forward by the lead contractor for the project, Flatiron Dragados. The contractor can make adjustments to the planned road work schedule as it sees fit, Ochoa Sánchez said.
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“This is a design build project, it’s not the usual project where everything gets laid out up front,” he said.
The contractors have targeted August as the latest completion date, according to Ochoa Sánchez.
Nighttime closures, lane painting looms
Over those final months, drivers will continue to see nighttime closures on some of the on ramps and off ramps. Electrical work and landscaping work is also still underway, as well as drainage improvements near the 34th Street exit.
The contractor also needs to repaint the striping along Highway 50, which will mark one of the last steps before traffic barrels are fully removed, Ochoa Sánchez said. The timeline for the striping work has not been set, he said.
With the latest work, “the project has entered its final phase,” Caltrans announced in a press release on the closures.
Ochoa Sánchez noted that the agency has been receiving complaints from motorists who see closed areas that don’t have crews actively working in them. Crews are currently finishing the joint sealing in these areas, he said, which requires curing time before they can be weight-bearing.
“It was a pain for a lot of drivers, for us, for the media, but once this is completed, it’s going to be great.”
Sergio Ochoa Sánchez, Caltrans spokesman
Weekend closures planned throughout April
Local drivers will see visible disruptions along Highway 50 over the next three weekends. More information on the closures, maps and alternative routes are detailed by Caltrans in the images below.
April 3 to April 4
A 24-hour closure is planned from midnight Friday to midnight Saturday. Crews will be shuttering the connector between eastbound Highway 50 and the eastbound Business 80.
April 10 to April 11
A 15-hour closure is slated for 10 p.m. Friday, April 10, to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 11. Caltrans is closing the connector between northbound State Route 99 and Highway 50.
April 17 to April 18
The final closure is slated for 15 hours as well, beginning at 10 p.m. Friday, April 17, and ending at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 18. Crews will once again close the connector between eastbound Highway 50 and eastbound Business 80. Recommended detours are the same as for the April 3-4 closure.
Felicia Alvarez is a reporter at Abridged covering accountability. She’s called Sacramento home since 2015 and has reported on government, health care and breaking news topics for both local and national news outlets.