Caltrans Plans Highway 50 Work To Prevent Another Interstate 5 Mess
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Caltrans is announcing new emergency repair work on another major Sacramento freeway.
The announcement comes after large potholes damaged dozens of cars in September along Interstate 5 in downtown Sacramento. Now, there are similar problems being reported on Highway 50.
On average, more than 200,000 vehicles pass along the stretch of Highway 50 every day, and Caltrans officials say they're hoping to stop problems before they start.
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It's a familiar sight on Sacramento roadways, crumbling concrete making for a bumpy ride for many drivers. Now, Caltrans is prepping for emergency road repairs on another main commute route Highway 50.
Caltrans spokesperson Dennis Keaton said, "The concrete slabs that are in place now more than likely are the original concrete slabs from when the highway was first built, and rather than doing a maintenance patch job or a pothole repair, the slabs are being removed and replaced with new slabs."
The work is similar to what's going on along Interstate 5 in downtown Sacramento right now. That's where dozens of drivers reported flattened tires due to potholes. Following that unexpected damage, engineers turned their focus to Highway 50.
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"It only made sense to continue searching around," said Keaton.
So, what are the areas of concern along Highway 50?
"Roughly Stockton Boulevard, 65th Street, probably as far as Sacramento State," said Keaton.
Caltrans warns there will likely be overnight lane closures once repairs begin, similar to what's happening now along I-5. Crews are hoping to complete construction before the wet weather hits.
"What typically happens is water seeps through, temperature changes happen, and then you have all these potholes coming up."
Caltrans says there have not been any major reports of damaged cars on Highway 50 yet, and with this work, they hope to keep it that way.
"We know it's happened with I-5. We don't want to take a chance on that happening on 50," said Keaton.
Caltrans says the repairs along Interstate 5 are now about 60 percent complete. The total cost for both emergency repair projects is estimated at more than $6 million.