January 11, 2006

I-80 Widening Now
Tabbed at $200 Million

 

By Jason Probst

Recent increases in construction and materials costs have nearly doubled the estimated price of the Interstate 80 widening project in Roseville.Now tabbed at approximately $200 million, the project required to widen the freeway as it narrows from the Sacramento County line into Placer County has been pushed further into the future unless officials can secure more funds.

Celia McAdam, executive director of the Placer County Transportation Plan-ning Agency, said that recent increases in labor materials spiked up the cost.That increase is especially alarming in lieu of the fact that last fall regional leaders celebrated upon news of Congressman John Doolittle securing $71 million for the project, which was a critical piece of long-delayed federal funding.

Now, McAdam says the project that would widen the freeway from three to six lanes and reduce the much-dreaded "Roseville bottleneck" may be in funding jeopardy once again.

"If we're at $200 million in funding and could do the entire project in one fell swoop, we could save $10 million," McAdam said. "Traffic management is a big part of it. You've got to keep six lanes of traffic moving."

However, McAdam said she is encouraged by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's big-ticket plans to push for bonds to raise transportation monies for statewide projects, as entailed in his State of the State address Thursday.

Though no funds were allocated for the freeway - which typically would fall under the aegis of federal funding - she's not giving up. One option could be using the $71 million secured by Rep. Doolittle to attract state matching funds.

The PCTPA is also working on a ballot proposal to present to the county Board of Supervisors. If approved, it would go before voters in November to decide on whether or not to pass a half-cent sales tax increase from 7.25 to 7.75 percent.

Those monies would be dedicated to local transportation projects, including the Highway 65 bypass around Lincoln and other critical needs.

"This just reinforces the need for us to do things locally," McAdam said. "The state isn't going to save us." Roseville city councilman Jim Gray agreed that I-80 remains a high priority for the city and the region.

"We need to complete all of our improvements," Gray said. "From Interstate 80 to Riverside (Avenue) to Highway 65. Otherwise, every time you are going to go over there, you're going to see the same mess you see just about every day."