Is Traffic an Issue at the I-80/Hwy 65 Interchange?

One of the Placer County Transportation Planning Agency's summer goals will affect drivers throughout Roseville and the county: Improve traffic flow at the Interstate 80 and Highway 65 interchange.

The agency’s executive director Celia McAdam outlined some of the issues and possible long-term and short-term improvements in the latest newsletter.

Short-term improvements

What's possibly next is re-striping lanes on the northbound Hwy 65 viaduct that would allow for two main lanes and one auxiliary lane, which would end at the Galleria Boulevard/Stanford Ranch Road exit.

The proposed re-striping would cost an estimated $1 million.

The project would include re-striping approximately 3,500 feet of northbound Hwy 65, grinding and resurfacing the roadway. The lanes would also be narrower than the standard 12-feet.

“Proposed as a temporary solution while PCTPA continues planning a permanent replacement interchange, the re-striping hopes to be a practical and cost-efficient solution that will help motorists get moving sooner, rather than later,” McAdam wrote. “But before jumping in too far, we want to make sure the resulting roadway will be both safe to navigate and effective in reducing the backups.”

If the agency is able to move forward with re-striping, it could take 18 months to two years before re-striping happens because of getting state and federal permissions.  

Long-term improvements

The agency is also looking into the future at long-term improvements, which would include adding direct freeway-to-freeway ramps. The Taylor Road Interchange would also be relocated to reduce “weaving movements” on eastbound I-80.

The agency is working with the cities of Roseville, Rocklin and Lincoln as well as Caltrans and the Federal Highway Administration on these projects.

What’s next?

To determine if these ideas are doable, staff and consultants are working on developing traffic simulations. They hope to have results to present to the agency’s board, Caltrans and the Federal Highway Administration this summer.

What do you think of these ideas? Do you think they will improve traffic at this interchange?