Working together to improve traffic, safety in Placer County

Traffic is something on everyone's mind these days, and it remains one of my top priorities as your Placer County Supervisor. Whether it's congestion during the daily commute, safety concerns at busy intersections or the need for better long-term planning as our communities continue to grow, I hear these concerns from residents every day. The good news is that Placer County is actively investing in solutions. Through the hard work of our Department of Public Works, Placer County Transportation Planning Agency (PCTPA) and our cities, we are improving roads, expanding transit options, enhancing traffic safety and planning for the future transportation needs of our county. Below are just a few of the important projects and services currently underway to help keep Placer County moving safely and efficiently. Our Public Works Department provides a wide range of public services outside of city limits, including environmental utilities and floodplain management alongside their work for transit and road maintenance. This includes the implementation of crosswalks, speed limits and traffic signals. The Road Maintenance Division repairs and maintains more than 1,000 miles of roadways and 125 bridges within unincorporated Placer County from the Sacramento County line to Tahoe while providing roadside tree and vegetation hazard control and emergency roadway hazard response. In addition to this ongoing work, Placer County is continuing to invest in major transportation improvements designed to reduce congestion, improve safety and support our growing communities. Here are some of the upcoming transportation projects planned throughout our area: Placer Parkway (Phase 1) The Placer Parkway project is a planned 15-mile, high-speed, limited-access roadway that will connect State Route 65 in western Placer County to State Route 70/99 in South Sutter County. With Western Placer County having experienced significant growth over the past decades, Placer Parkway looks to respond to increased travel demand and congestion. Phase 1 of the Placer Parkway Project will extend from State Route 65 with the construction of a four-lane, 1.5-mile roadway connecting to Foothills Boulevard North. This first part of the project will provide alternative connections to Foothills Boulevard to relieve congestion along State Route 65 at Sunset Boulevard and Twelve Bridges Drive interchanges and along Industrial Avenue and Sunset Boulevard. Construction is expected to begin this summer with the projected completion in 2028. Highway 65 widening In an effort to relieve congestion and improve safety, PCTPA is looking to widen Highway 65 by adding auxiliary lanes. Due to limited available funding, this project is looking to be completed in a series of phases. The first phase will add a third southbound lane between the Blue Oaks Boulevard and Galleria Boulevard/Stanford Ranch Road interchanges, add an auxiliary lane from the Pleasant Grove on-ramp to the Galleria off-ramp, and widen the Galleria off-ramp to two lanes. Due to federal funding secured by Congressman Kevin Kiley, Phase 1 is slated to begin in early 2027. Twelve Bridges/Sierra College traffic signal A project that has been one of my highest priorities is the installation of a traffic signal at the intersection of Sierra College Blvd. and Twelve Bridges. Last year, I reached out to the developer who is responsible for constructing a future traffic signal at this location to see if they would agree to accelerate the timeline for this project due to concerns about the danger of accidents at this intersection. Fortunately, the developer agreed to help push this project forward. For the last several months, the Placer County Department of Public Works has been working to secure funding for the project, including county funds as well as contributions from the South Placer Regional Transit Authority (SPRTA) and the City of Lincoln We are currently working to finalize funding agreements between the three parties (Placer County, City of Lincoln, SPRTA), then the project will go out to bid, and we anticipate going to construction in 2027. While it may sound like a long timeline now, it is worth noting that traffic signals typically take several years to design, fund and construct. We've made tremendous strides in a short timeframe to bring this forward and will continue to work diligently so the signal can be installed by next year. While our county has made significant strides in building out transportation infrastructure system, there is always more to be done. I look forward to continued collaboration with local stakeholders, jurisdictions and agencies to keep improving traffic and transit in response to the different challenges we face as a community. Shanti Landon is the Placer County District 2 Supervisor.