Get Ready For More Delays As Interstate 80 Project Will Close Lanes Starting Saturday
/ CBS Sacramento
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) —Prepare to add 10-15 minutes to your commute as a stretch of Interstate 80 will need to be redone.
Beginning Saturday, a 4-mile stretch of Eastbound Interstate 80 from the Sacramento-Yolo County line to West El Camino Avenue will go from three lanes to two. From there, traffic will shift to the three inside lanes until Watt Avenue.
This project isn't new. It's two years in the making, and it seems like it's gone on forever. Drivers are getting tired of the work.
Caltrans spokesman Dennis Keaton admits its been a long process, and they're not even close to wrapping it up.
"There's quite a bit of work," he said. There's a lot more work still need to be done."
After Fix 50 took two months to complete, drivers are wondering why work on Interstate 80 has taken so long.
Keaton was quick to point out that Fix 50 was about a half-mile in length, while this Interstate 80 work stretches 10 miles. They're adding two new carpool lanes—one in each direction—strengthening bridges, building sound walls, and replacing damaged concrete on the surface of Interstate 80.
About that damaged concrete—CBS13 told you back in April that a two-mile stretch of freshly poured concrete had to be replaced because it was cracking.
With so much expertise involved in the project, and how could this happen.
"This happens quite a bit on a number of issues and that's why we have inspectors on the job," Keaton said.
Caltrans inspectors determined the concrete to be unsound and riding way too rough.
"If it's damaged because it's found to be unsound by Caltrans inspectors and it's found to be basically found during the curing process and what was put down," he said. There's a good chance the contractor will more than likely foot the bill."
And that's exactly what's happened as contractor CC Myers Inc. is paying for the $2.5 million repour.
Meanwhile, the project's overall price tag is around $133 million, paid for with Proposition 1B money and federal funding, combined with local government investment.
But how much longer will the project take?
"We're talking approximately two years and that has to do primarily with the length and the amount of work," Keaton said.
Caltrans says once the project is finished, it will eliminate more than 4 million hours of delays.
We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.