Great plan, serious congestion, but over quickly.
I-5 repair project detailed; complete closures planned
By Tony Bizjak - tbizjak@sacbee.com
Published 12:25 am PDT Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Interstate 5 downtown will be closed northbound for up to three weeks, followed by a similar closure southbound, as part of major repairs this summer, officials announced Monday.
The back-to-back closures on more than a mile of downtown freeway are expected to cause significant congestion around downtown Sacramento – with ripple effects to other freeways and surface streets.
State highway officials called the repair plan aggressive and innovative – something they would have shied away from a few years ago – and said it means necessary fixes on the decaying freeway will be far faster than expected.
In total, the project will involve 42 days of various lane and ramp closures. The project start date is planned for late May.
Caltrans first planned to close two lanes in both directions for the better part of a year during the project, until contractor C.C. Myers of Rancho Cordova, a company known for speedy work, proposed the more aggressive approach.
"The plan, very simply, is to get in, get to work, and get out," state Department of Transportation head Will Kempton said.
A few on- and offramps into downtown in both directions will be kept open throughout the 42-day period, allowing access to downtown, officials said.
