The California Transportation Commission awarded $20 MILLION to the U.S. 50 HOV Lane Project in El Dorado County

At their meeting on September 25, 2008, the California Transportation Commission (CTC) allocated $20 million in Corridor Mobility Improvement Account (CMIA) funds to Phase1 of the U.S. 50 High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane project in El Dorado County.

The project will construct HOV lanes in the eastbound and westbound directions of U.S. 50 from the Sacramento/El Dorado County line to just west of the Bass Lake Road Interchange. The project will also replace the Latrobe Road undercrossing offramp bridge and extend the eastbound truck lane one mile to close the truck lane gap to the base of Bass Lake grade. The project is currently under construction and is scheduled to be completed by August 2010.

Estimated construction cost is $37.8 million. In addition to the $20 million in CMIA funds, the project is funded by $7.9 million in Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality funds and $9.8 million in local funds.

Proposition 1B, approved by voters on November 7, 2006, provided $4.5 billion in CMIA funds to improve performance on highly-congested travel corridors on the state highway system or major access routes to the state highway system. Funding was awarded to the U.S. 50 HOV lane project through a competitive process based on a project’s ability to improve travel times or safety and access to jobs, housing, markets, and commerce.

STATE ROUTE 50 HOV EXTENSION

The project will construct an additional eastbound and westbound HOV lane (also known as a carpool lane) in the existing median of U.S. 50 from the El Dorado County line to Greenstone Road for a total of 23 miles of continuous HOV lanes in El Dorado and Sacramento Counties.

The project will be constructed in three phases. Phase 1 of the project is currently under construction and will complete the segment from the El Dorado County line to Bass Lake Grade. In addition to the eastbound and westbound HOV lanes, Phase 1 includes widening of the U.S. 50 overcrossing of Silva Valley Road and a one-mile extension of the eastbound truck climbing lane to close the existing truck climbing lane gap between the interchange at U.S. 50 and El Dorado Hills Boulevard and the base of Bass Lake Grade. Phase 1 is scheduled to be completed by August 2010.

Phase 2 of the project will continue the HOV lanes from the Phase 1 limits to Shingle Springs/Ponderosa Road and is scheduled to begin after the completion of Phase 1.

Phase 3 will extend the project from the Phase 2 limits to Greenstone Road.

All improvements are anticipated to be constructed in the existing Caltrans right-of-way.