For reports relating to current projects, please visit the Reports section of the website.
Nevada County
SR 49 Widening at LaBarr Meadows
The State Route (SR) 49/La Barr Meadows Road Project will relocate the existing La Barr Meadows Road intersection at SR 49 just south of the current location and install a traffic signal. The project will also widen the highway from two to four lanes to the north and south of the new intersection with turn pockets to provide adequate vehicle storage and left turn movements at the signal. Frontage roads will be constructed to eliminate direct access to the highway from side roads and driveways. Vehicles will access SR 49 from the new signal. The design features will relieve existing congestion and eliminate ingress and egress conditions that have contributed to a high rate of accidents within the project area. The project limits begin 0.7 miles north of Alta Sierra Drive and extends to 0.5 miles south of Wellswood Way.
The total project cost is estimated at $29.1 million; approximately $20.9 million is programmed through the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), $2 million through ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) funds, and $6.2 million is being provided from the Corridor Mobility Improvement Account (CMIA), utilizing funds approved by the passage of Proposition 1B. Design and right-of-way for the project were completed in April 2009. The project is scheduled for completion by the end of July 2013.
Click here to view an overview of the SR 49/La Barr Meadows Widening Project
Construction of the Dorsey Drive Interchange started on May 6, 2013 and is scheduled through fall 2014. The City of Grass Valley is the lead agency working in partnership with the Nevada County Transportation Commission and Caltrans. Construction information will be posted on a special website at www.dorseyinterchange.com. You can sign up on the website to receive electronic notices of traffic alerts and project updates. A project information hotline is also available at (530) 268-4573. Construction will generally take place Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The contractor, McGuire and Hester of Oakland, may also work at night on occasion. The bid for construction was approved at $15,191,874.
The Dorsey Drive Interchange project will convert the existing overcrossing of SR 20/49 to an interchange that allows access to the Golden Center Freeway in Grass Valley. The purpose of the project is to provide improved access to high-use sites in the area, including the Nevada County Sierra College Campus and Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital. The interchange will also improve traffic operations at the adjacent Brunswick Road and Idaho-Maryland Road interchanges and provide additional capacity on Dorsey Drive for future planned development, in accordance with the General Plans of Grass Valley and Nevada County. Project components include:
Widen the Dorsey Drive overcrossing from two to five lanes with two of those lanes designated for left turns
Construction of on- and off-ramps to SR 20/49
Addition of auxiliary lanes on SR 20/49 freeway from Dorsey Drive south to the Idaho-Maryland Road exit and north to the Brunswick Road interchange
Widening of Dorsey Drive to East Main Street and to Pampas Drive with enhancements for pedestrians and bicyclists
Modify a portion of Joerschke Drive to a one-direction off-ramp for southbound SR 20/49 traffic
The most recent estimated project cost is $25.4 million with construction equaling $15.7 million, right-of-way costs of $4.3 million, and project environmental, design, and support costs of $6.6 million.
Transit Transfer Facility Grass Valley
Western Nevada County has experienced steady growth in recent years and this trend is projected to continue. Along with this growth have come increased traffic and transit demands. An important piece of the region's transportation facilities is the Transit Transfer Passenger Facility serving downtown Grass Valley. The existing transfer site at Church and Neal Streets does not provide a good public image for the transit program and has operational inefficiencies that result in traffic congestion.
Aware of the importance of the transit center and the public transit program, the Nevada County Transportation Commission funded a study to evaluate potential sites for a new transit facility for the Gold Country Stage Transit Services. After an evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of eight alternative sites, Tinloy Street was selected as the site that best meets the goals and needs of the Gold Country Stage. This location will keep buses out of the congested downtown streets and will result in improved running times for the transit service.
The Nevada County Public Works Department oversees the operation of the Gold Country Stage Transit Service and has prepared a plan for construction of the first phase of the transit center. Click a link below for 2 views of the Transit Transfer Facility:
Construction of the first phase was completed in 2012 and is now in use as the transfer facility. The project is funded with $777,000 from SAFETEA-LU (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users), $300,000 from ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act), and $120,000 of local matching funds.
Truckee
SR 89 Mousehole Truckee
SR 89 is a major artery for vehicles traveling from I-80 to Lake Tahoe and several major recreation facilities in the area. The current Union Pacific Railroad underpass structure on SR 89 in Truckee, known locally as the "Mousehole," has long been the subject of discussion regarding its inadequacies. The structure was completed in 1928 by the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads. It has become a focal point for traffic congestion and needs improvements to provide safe pedestrian and bicycle access. Pedestrians who use the route to access shopping nearby have been observed running through the Mousehole to avoid conflict with cars. Others climb up and over the 25-foot-high railroad embankment rather than risk walking through the underpass.
Pedestrian walking through Mousehole
The Town of Truckee, Caltrans, and the Nevada County Transportation Commission are providing funding to develop a project to improve traffic flow and safety at the Mousehole. Caltrans has assembled a Project Development Team for this project, and after looking at several alternatives, it has been determined that due to the high cost of widening the existing tunnel or adding a new tunnel, the scope of work is now focused on constructing a 10-foot-wide Pedestrian/Bicycle Undercrossing Tunnel on the east side of SR 89 between West River Street and Deerfield Drive. A 12-foot-wide by 10-foot-high concrete tunnel for pedestrian and bicycle use is planned to be constructed beneath the Union Pacific Railroad tracks east of the existing vehicle tunnel. In order to construct the project, Caltrans will provide $4.4 million from the State Highway Operation and Protection Program and $570,000 of toll credits to be used for federal matching purposes; NCTC has programmed $1.3 million of Regional Improvement Program funds and Truckee will provide $350,000 from its traffic impact fee fund. Based on current estimates, project construction is underfunded by $1.5 million and Truckee is submitting an application for a federal grant from the TIGER 2013 program in that amount. Click here to viewMousehole Alternative 1 (the pedestrian/bicycle tunnel alternative)
