Fix 50 Stays Ahead Of Schedule, All Eastbound Lanes To Open Friday Morning

Caltrans said late Thursday that eastbound phase two of the Fix 50 project will be completed six days ahead of schedule, and that all lanes between 18th and 24th streets will be open for traffic by 7 a.m. Friday.

All lanes in both directions will be open for 10 days, before work on the westbound lanes starts on May 27th. 

- CapRadio.org staff

Caltrans announcement:

The Fix50 project is ahead of schedule, and motorists will get a nice break for Memorial Day Weekend when all lanes will be open. Eastbound Phase 2, which began five days early to resurface the outside lanes of Highway 50 between 18th and 24th Streets in Sacramento, will finish 6 days early on May 16.

All lanes of Highway 50 will be open to motorists for a full ten days. Work will resume after Memorial Day Weekend so there will be no interruption for travelers over the holiday when the Sacramento Music Festival and County Fair are in town.

"Caltrans would like to thank our partners for their added outreach, staff, and services that helped to increase public awareness and alleviate traffic issues," added Director Jones. "We also thank drivers who changed their regular workday commute, or chose alternate modes of transportation. Those motorists who chose to bike commute, use light rail, bus, train, walk, carpool, and avoided unnecessary trips helped lessen the overall traffic impacts in the region."

Additionally, Caltrans advises the public to continue advanced travel planning for the closures scheduled on the westbound side and to expect additional delays.

On Thursday evening, May 15, crews will begin the process to reopen all eastbound lanes. The change-over will begin at approximately 9 PM, and involves removing K-rail barriers, changing the sign structures, and sealing and restriping the newly completed lanes into their original configuration. The full transition will finish by 7 AM Friday morning May 16, concluding all traffic-interfering work on eastbound Highway 50 in the W-X Viaduct. There will be some finishing work to do once both phases are complete, but nothing that will require major traffic interference.

Hornet Drive, which has been closed to Folsom Blvd. traffic for use as a detour, will also be reopened Friday morning and will remain open until Westbound Phase 2 begins.

Traffic heading to the Sacramento Republic FC game at Hughes Stadium on Saturday, May 17 will be able to use the connector ramp from eastbound Highway 50 to southbound 99 to get to the game.

Westbound work will run from May 27th through June 25th and will occur in two phases. Phase 1 will begin at Midnight Tuesday, May 27 and is scheduled to run until June 10. No ramps will be affected during the first westbound phase.

Phase 2 is scheduled for June 11-25. Ramp closures include the connector ramp from westbound Business 80 (Capitol City Freeway) to westbound Highway 50, and the 16th Street off-ramp. Major congestion is expected throughout the region during westbound work, including on other area highways and surface streets.

"The westbound phase has potential for much greater congestion just because of the number of people who commute from eastern Sacramento County into downtown," said Director Jones. "Also, the alternate routes drivers used for the eastbound phase may not be the best routes for westbound."