CALTRANS RECOMMENDS

During Stage 1 (eastbound)

• Phase 1: April 22-May 6 (inside lanes closed for repair, outside lanes open)
• Phase 2: May 7-21 (outside lanes closed for repair, inside lanes open)
• Westbound lanes unaffected

If you're driving ...

... from Davis to downtown Sacramento:

• Use I-80 to U.S. 50 east to I-5 north, to the J Street or Richards Boulevard exits.
• Avoid using U.S. 50 east into the work area.

... from Davis/Natomas to Rancho Cordova/Folsom:

• Use I-80 east to Watt Avenue, exit south to Business 80, then connect with U.S. 50 at the east end of the construction zone.
• Do not use I-5 to U.S. 50 east.

... from Elk Grove/Laguna to Rancho Cordova/Folsom:

• Use state Highway 99 north to U.S. 50 east.
• Do not use Interstate 5 north to U.S. 50 east.

And, if you're driving through the project area during Stage 1, Phase 2, remember the connector ramp closures — from U.S. 50 to Business 80 east and from U.S. 50 to state Highway 99 south — for about a week, starting May 7. Here's the detour:

• Continue east on U.S. 50 to Howe Avenue. Halfway down the ramp, there's another exit, this one for California State University, Sacramento. Careful as you take this exit (Hornet Drive) — it's a sharp curve. Follow the exit around and under the freeway, and get right back on U.S. 50 going west. Then you can make your connection to eastbound Business 80 or southbound state Highway 99. See map.

Related story: "8 detours to help you avoid Hwy. 50 construction traffic,” News10 (April 20, 2014)

Fix 50 and UC Davis: Resources (and links), continually updated.

By Dave Jones

With Fix 50 underway, as of early this morning (April 22), many of us — including me — are asking one another around campus: “How’d you get to work today?” Car, shuttle bus, train, bike — or a combination of those?

The bigger question during Fix 50’s Stage 1 comes this afternoon, for those of us who commute through the heart of Sacramento: “How are we getting home?”

Because, as you surely must know by now, Stage 1 comprises the eastbound half of the rehabilitation project on U.S. Highway 50 — where it's elevated (on bridgelike structures called viaducts) between 18th and 24th streets at the south edge of downtown.

Live view from Caltrans camera at 20th Street.

The contractor is working on three lanes at a time, while traffic squeezes into the other three lanes. The California Department of Transportation, or Caltrans, is estimating delays of up to an hour — which is particularly problematic for UC Davis' home-bound commuters headed out U.S. 50 toward Rancho Cordova, or to eastbound Business 80 or southbound state Highway 99. See box for Caltrans' recommended alternate routes.

The project also poses a problem for staff and faculty who have need during the day to travel between the Davis and Sacramento campuses. In such instances, consider conference calls!

Stage 1 is scheduled to run through May 21. Then, after a break for Memorial Day, the 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week project starts up again on May 27, in the westbound direction, with Stage 2 work continuing to June 25. All UC Davis commencements except one are scheduled during Stage 2, which means family and friends need to plan ahead if they’ll be coming through central Sacramento.

UC Davis has been urging students and employees to consider alternative transportation, and has beefed up shuttle service — between the campuses and between different modes of transit — to accommodate those of us who may wish to forego our cars for at least part of our commute during Fix 50.

• Intercampus shuttle — Running twice an hour instead of once during peak commute times. Free during Fix 50. See the schedule.
• “First Mile, Last Mile” shuttle — Between downtown Sacramento (Fifth and L streets, three blocks from the Amtrak station) and the Sacramento campus, for students and employees bound for the Sacramento campus, and those who are going to the Davis campus; you can park on the Sacramento campus, ride the shuttle to the train, and then take the train to Davis. Free. See the schedule.
• Green Line shuttle — Between Sacramento's 39th Street light-rail station and the Sacramento campus. You can go from light rail to the Green Line shuttle to the intercampus shuttle. Free. See the schedule.

Transportation and Parking Services, or TAPS, and the Yolo County Transportation District (Yolobus) are offering Amtrak tickets at a discount, for travel between Davis and Sacramento. See "the "UC Davis and Fix 50" resources page for more information.

• If you're traveling to Davis, you can go from the train to Unitrans, for free, no transfer necessary during Stage 1; your Unitrans ride back to the depot is also free during Stage 1.
• If you're traveling to Sacramento, you can go from the train to Regional Transit (bus or light rail), for free, with a transfer (ask the conductor for one).

Employees also are making use of the university’s workplace flexibility policy, for telecommuting, flexible hours and compressed workweeks.

Check out our "Fix 50 and UC Davis" resources page for more information and links regarding project dates and details, buses and shuttle buses, Amtrak trains (and discount tickets) and RT light-rail trains, parking permit reciprocity (between campuses) and workplace flexibility, and more.

Recent updates:

• Amtrak discount — The Yolo County Transportation District is offering $3 tickets (Sacramento-Davis) valid on weekdays all through Fix 50, not just Stage 1. We’ve listed which trains you can ride with the discounted tickets, and when and where you can buy them.
• Unitrans — Free rides for everyone during Stage 1.
• Yolobus — Extra runs, morning and evening, on two express lines, 232 (Davis-Sacramento) and 45 (Woodland-Sacramento), during Stage 1.
• Sacramento Regional Transit — Fix 50 information page and additional light-rail trains.
• Caltrans’ Fix 50 alerts — Available by email and text message.
• Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates — Guidelines for using public transit with your bike.
• May Is Bike Month — The organizers announced an extra prize drawing for everyone who logs miles from April 22 to 30, plus you will earn a special Fix 50 badge. After that, you can start tallying your mileage for May Is Bike Month, which begins, of course, May 1.

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