We have reached a major milestone to reconfigure the Highway 65 interchange at Interstate 80! The final environmental document for the entire interchange was approved in September 2016 and Caltrans has signed off on the proposed improvements.
The original interchange was constructed in the mid-1980’s, when the population of Placer County was 136,000. Over the last 30 years, the population has grown to 370,000 with traffic reaching 115,000 vehicles per day on Highway 65. In 2008, Caltrans began a preliminary study to reconfigure the interchange and developed several concepts that were used to begin the environmental phase in 2010. Over the past six years, PCTPA has successfully been working with federal, state, and local partners to balance the needs of local access and regional travel on the interstate.
Are you confused about the planned improvements on the I-80/SR 65 interchange? Let us try to help!
Almost every motorist who’s traveled in the Placer region has been stuck in traffic on the highways near the I-80/SR 65 interchange. Regardless of which direction or what time, the traffic seems to come to a complete stop near the interchange. One of the reasons for this traffic congestion is because the interchange was designed and built in the mid-1980s when the County’s population was 136,000 people. Thirty years later the population has more than tripled, therefore, the interchange needs a major upgrade and reconfiguration to accommodate the nearly 210,000 vehicles that use the interchange every day. Such a significant undertaking will require about $450 million. Without a local funding sales tax measure, the Placer region struggles to be competitive for federal and state funding opportunities.
However, PCTPA and its partners (Caltrans, the County, the cities of Roseville, Rocklin and Lincoln) have created a phased approach which will allow them to move forward on fixing the problem on an incremental basis. The first phase of the Interstate 80/Highway 65 Improvement Project is expected to bring relief to motorists that are stuck in the back-up on Interstate 80. This phase will provide a third lane on northbound Highway 65 from I-80 to Pleasant Grove Boulevard and improvements to the Galleria Boulevard/Stanford Ranch Road interchange at a cost of $50 million.
The remaining $400 million cost will add one lane to each of the four connectors between State Route 65 and Interstate 80. Improvements also include maintaining the existing I-80 access at Taylor Road and eliminating the weaving on I-80 eastbound between Eureka Road and Highway 65.
Funding this project has been a challenge, but PCTPA and its partners garnered several funding sources to complete the $50 million first phase. The I-80 Bottleneck project through Roseville was completed in 2011 under budget, thus, PCTPA is able to use nearly $10 million dollars from that project savings. Other local funding sources include traffic mitigation fees assessed on local developments.
Unfortunately, PCTPA has maxed out the local funding sources and will need to find other local funding sources to move forward on future phases.
Below is a breakdown of the funding sources for Phase 1.
Total Cost = $50 Million
- Caltrans Safety and Maintenance Funding = $28.8 Million
- PCTPA I-80 Bottleneck Savings = $9.9 million
- PCTPA 2006 State Bond Freight Funding = $3.6 million
- Highway 65 Interchange Development Impact Fees = $6.0 Million
- South Placer Regional Transportation Authority Development Impact Fees = $1.7 million
More information about the first phase of the Interstate 80/State Route 65 Improvement Project can be found in the video below:
How will the Interchange be reconfigured?
We began with 22 concepts and through a process that involved significant public outreach, we now have environmental approval to add one additional lane to each of the four connectors between Highway 65 and I-80. The improvements also include maintaining the existing I-80 access at Taylor Road and eliminating the existing vehicle weaving on I-80 eastbound between Eureka Road and Highway 65.The video shows the planned interchange improvements.
When will construction on the interchange begin?
The interchange will be constructed in phases, with the first phased planned to begin construction in 2018! Caltrans is already moving forward with design of the first phase of the interchange that will provide a third lane on northbound Highway 65 from I-80 to Pleasant Grove Boulevard and improvements to the Galleria Boulevard/Stanford Ranch Road interchange. Future phases of the interchange are depended on availability of funding for construction. There are also plans to widen Highway 65 from I-80 to the City of Lincoln, more information can be found here.
