Highway 50 construction: What’s left and how long it could take

Updated Aug. 18, 2023

If you're a driver who uses Highway 50 regularly through downtown Sacramento, it has been a long two-and-a-half years.

The construction project known as Fix50 broke ground in November of 2020 with major construction starting in March 2021, and it has been a source of some angst for drivers as they navigate the lane changes, construction equipment and bottlenecked traffic. It’s also led to noise complaints from residents in the surrounding neighborhoods at night.

Caltrans says that the project should wrap up by the end of next year, December 2024, or even early into early 2025. And the payoff will be new carpool lanes, a smooth ride and hopefully less congestion. 

Here’s a look at what the project is, what’s next and how much longer we might have to go.

What is Fix50 anyway?

Fix50 is a $470 million project to upgrade a stretch of Highway 50 from Interstate 5 east to Watt Avenue. When it’s completed, Caltrans says the project will include:

• 14 additional carpool lane miles
• A new sound wall on the south side of Highway 50 from Stockton Boulevard to 65th Street
• New concrete, replacing the original material from the late 1960s
• Additional on-ramps
• New drainage to reduce water pooling
• New signs and lighting
• Increased the clearance rate of seven crossings
• Expanded light rail service from Sunrise Boulevard to downtown Folsom

According to Caltrans, the hope is the improvements will reduce congestion as the region continues to grow and provide incentives for carpooling. 

“You're talking about an infrastructure that's aged, that's kind of out of date because the population has grown,” Dennis Keaton, a public information officer for Caltrans, told Insight host Vicki Gonzalez. “Sacramento's no longer that small-to-medium sized city [it was] when this highway was first constructed. Now it's a medium-large city. So we've got to change and that's part of the change that's going on here.”

Keaton added that the addition of auxiliary lanes, improved signage and more onramps will lessen the "quick turns and quick lane changes" that drivers experience, especially when moving between Highway 50, 99 and Business 80.

Are we there yet (when will this be over)?

The project has been underway since November of 2020, with the most visible work starting in March of 2021. Completion is expected in December of 2024 or early 2025.

Tell me about these ‘traffic splits’

One of the biggest changes are what Caltrans refers to as “traffic splits,” where drivers must choose between one set of lanes to the left and another to the right. Drivers on the left can’t reach exits until after the lanes meet back up. 

In March, the first split started on eastbound Highway 50 where it crosses the Sacramento River, but is no longer in place. 

A map of traffic splits on Highway 50 as of Aug. 18, 2023.Courtesy Caltrans

In June, Caltrans added a split on westbound Highway 50 from the 26th Street exit off-ramp to Interstate 5. Drivers on the left cannot exit 16th and 10th streets or use ramps to I-5. Caltrans recommends using northbound I-5 instead of northbound Highway 99 or southbound I-5 instead of southbound Business 80 to avoid delays onto Highway 50. The split is expected to stay in place until early September. 

A map of traffic splits on Highway 50 as of Aug. 18, 2023.Courtesy Caltrans

In July, another westbound lane split was added from Watt Avenue to Howe Avenue. Drivers who want to exit at Howe Avenue or Sacramento State need to stay to the right at the split, which is expected to stay in place until at least October.

A map of traffic splits on Highway 50 as of Aug. 18, 2023.Courtesy Caltrans

On Aug. 18, a new split opened on westbound Highway 50, starting before drivers get to 65th Street Avenue and ending just after the Stockton Blvd. exit. Caltrans recommends drivers who want to exit at Stockton Blvd. get into the right two lanes before Howe Avenue. The split is expected to stay in place until at least mid-November.

You can see updated maps on all the traffic splits on the Fix 50 website.

Will Sacramento get metered carpool lanes?

While Fix50 will add additional carpool lanes, Sacramento won’t see Bay Area-style metered lanes, Keaton with Caltrans said. 

“And at this point, they're just regular carpooling that we have planned for this area, much like you see on I-5,” he said. “There are no plans for meters at this point.”

Where to find additional information

Here’s where to look for updates on the project:

• The Caltrans Fix50 website
• Fix50 on Facebook
• Fix50 on Twitter
• Caltrans QuickMap for traffic conditions

Editor’s note: Caltrans is an underwriter of CapRadio