Active Transportation Projects


On June 15, 2022, the Nevada County Transportation Commission, in coordination with Nevada County, Nevada City, and Grass Valley, and with the assistance of the transportation consulting firm GHD Inc., submitted Active Transportation Program (ATP) Cycle 6 grant applications for the State Route 49 Multimodal Corridor Improvements and the SR 174/49/20 Roundabout and Active Transportation Safety Project. 
 
On December 7, 2022, the California Transportation Commission (CTC) awarded funding for Cycle 6 of the Active Transportation Program for both the Statewide Funding program component and the Small Urban & Rural program component.  NCTC was awarded funding for both grant applications submitted, totaling a combined $19,302,000 in ATP funding. The SR 49 Multimodal Corridor Improvement Project was recommended for $13.8 million, and the SR 174/49/20 Roundabout and Active Transportation Safety Project was recommended for $5.4 million.
 
SR 174/49/20 Roundabout & Active Transportation Safety Project is intended to improve traffic operations and the safety and comfort for people walking and bicycling by simplifying a high-stress cluster of multiple intersections with an oblong single-lane roundabout that includes high-visibility crossings on all legs and a shared-use path.  The project area today consists of seven closely spaced intersections, known as the Triangle, at the interchange of SR 174 with SR 49/20. Intersections are a mix of traffic signals and side-street stop signs, and people bicycling or walking through the area must navigate multiple long crossings with varied markings and support features.
 
A new oblong roundabout will consolidate four intersections, offering safety improvements for all modes of transportation. High-visibility marked crosswalks will be provided on all approaches, including advance yield lines and refuge islands. A rectangular rapid flashing beacon (RRFB) will be installed across S. Auburn Street near Grass Valley Charter Elementary. Two marked crossings are also provided across the circulating lane to provide access to the Park and Ride lot, and will include RRFBs to support safe crossings for students and families to Grass Valley Charter Elementary.  A new shared-use path will be constructed around the roundabout, offering a safe path of travel for people walking and bicycling that is completely separated from motor vehicle traffic. An existing traffic signal at Neal Street and Auburn Street will be upgraded to improve pedestrian safety and coordinate with the adjacent roundabout.
 
 SR 174-20 Improvement Concept
 
The State Route 49 Multimodal Corridor Improvements, Nevada City focuses on improving key intersections, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, and improved crossings along the segment of SR 49 between the intersection of SR 20/49/Uren Street and County Juvenile Hall driveway/SR 49.  The improvements will allow active transportation users to travel along and across this section of the SR 49 corridor safely and comfortably while accessing important destinations near the project area.
 
Intersection improvement locations include SR 49 and Coyote Street, North Bloomfield Road/East Broad Street, Maidu Ave/Orchard Street, and Cement Hill Road/West Broad Street.  North Bloomfield/East Broad Street is signal-controlled, while the remaining three are side-stop controlled.  Safety concerns will be addressed at all four locations.  SR 49/Coyote Street improvements include a right-in-right-out intersection reconfiguration, new lighting, and high-visibility crosswalks with refuge islands and rectangular rapid flashing beacons along both crossing legs.  Crosswalks at North Bloomfield Road/East Broad Street will be improved with new high-visibility markings. Maidu Ave/Orchard Street and Cement Hill Road/West Broad Street improvements include single-lane roundabouts, new lighting, shared-use paths around the roundabout perimeter, and high-visibility crosswalks with median refuge islands at each intersection leg.
 
New shared-use paths and sidewalk in several locations will connect to existing and future trails.  At the east end of the corridor, between SR 20 and North Bloomfield Road, a shared-use path will connect to the existing Rood Center Path at North Bloomfield Road, which extends to Helling Way.  At the west end, a shared-use path will span from the Juvenile Hall driveway to West Broad Street.  At Cement Hill Road/West Broad Street, the roundabout will connect to the shared-use path to the west at the southwest corner, and sidewalk along Cement Hill Road at the northeast corner.  A sidewalk will also extend to the north to Hirschman’s Trail.
 
 Map of project boundaries SR 49
 
Detailed SR 49 ATP Conceptual Exhibits