Placerville residents fear new road proposal may hurt local business
PLACERVILLE -- A new road project proposal in El Dorado County aims to address traffic congestion through Placerville. However, some residents and local restaurants say the move would hurt business.
Highway 50 is the main highway connecting the Bay Area and Central Valley to South Lake Tahoe. It also runs through the heart of Placerville.
With more than 50,000 cars passing through the town during peak weekends, county leaders say traffic through Placerville has become an issue. Now, there are plans to make the three traffic signals through town stay green on both west and eastbound lanes. They also hope to make adjustments to the streets to ease congestion.
"It's going to hurt businesses. It's not just going to hurt us, it's going to hurt all of Main Street," the manager for Buttercup Pantry, Sammi Jundi says.
He says relies on travelers stopping off the highway to have a bite to eat before heading up the hill. He says the three lights helped draw visitors to town by making it easy to get on and off of the highway.
"When you take that away, their only other option is to keep going straight and that takes away from potential customers and potential patrons we have," Jundi said.
El Dorado County Transportation Commission, the city of Placerville, and Caltrans conducted a pilot program last year. It was called "Trip to Green." Officials say it was successful and proved to be beneficial in helping ease traffic through town. They also say it helped travelers stop more frequently due to fewer traffic delays.
Meanwhile, Jundi says he still worries the project may hurt his bottom line.
"If there's a way for them to find a balance between decreasing traffic but not hurting business, then we're all for it," he said.
Although several restaurants and businesses are not in favor of the proposals, city leaders say a public survey found 70 percent of residents were in favor of their plan.
To learn more about the project, click here.