You know the "Fix I-5" project is nearly complete when you receive a press release about landscaping in the median on the "boat section" of the freeway. Although the mulch is going in and the project has been underway since the end of May, there's apparently some confusion about the final stages of the road repairs in downtown Sacramento. Caltrans--and just about anyone who's been driving near midtown--will tell you there have been some frustrating traffic jams on I-5 northbound leading up to the closed lanes, particularly in the early morning. Seems some commuters are trying to push their way through the area even as roadwork continues on some of the lanes heading north...creating bottlenecks. Officials who monitor such things say they believe Sacramento area drivers are "letting their guard down"...and are returning to their routine commute paths, regardless of the well-publicized work on Interstate Five.
There's still about a week to go before the entire project is wrapped up. Repair crews under the management of local roadwork manager C.C. Myers, are applying a final layer of sealer to the concrete on the northbound side from Richards Boulevard...to the Capital City Freeway/Highway 50 interchange. The weather, although a little cooler the past few days, is to blame for a few delays in the project...which now is slated to end around July 28th. As you may already know, when the mercury hits the triple digits, the sealer doesn't set properly...so road work slows down some until it gets dark and cooler. Wow, because of this project, we've all learned so much about what goes into road construction, a lesson from a real life "Builder Bob"--you might say.
Some are concerned about an unpleasant smell the sealant has created in the construction zone. But, mostly the people directly involved in the project. I've been getting emails from the Myers camp and Caltrans telling that the fumes are not hazardous and that breezy conditions off of the nearby river have helped to clear the air a little. It's only a temporary. So, with all of that said...I suppose we're all counting the days until the I-5 closures are history...and at this point, we are talking only a few days. Hang in there!