January 13, 2006

By Jeffrey Weidel

Solving this area's transportation problems just got more challenging this week with the news of the rise in cost, which has almost doubled, to fix the Interstate 80 problems originating in Roseville. The project would increase the number of lanes from three to six and hopefully address the dreaded gridlock for area motorists.

Celia McAdam, executive director of the Placer County Transportation Planning Agency, revealed the price tag for fixing the "Roseville bottleneck" is now $200 million, a figure that will no doubt rise considerably before the project even gets under way.

That certainly reduces the impact of the $71 million secured for the project at the federal level. It also means the November ballot proposal by PCPTA to increase the sales tax from 7.25 percent to 7.75 percent looms large, assuming the proposal receives approval by the Board of Supervisors.

Although Gov. Schwarzenegger promises more funding to fix the state's transportation woes, it has become increasingly clear if money does not arrive locally to address the dilemma, expect I-80 and Highway 65 to continue resembling parking lots.