Expressway to connect Highway 65 and Highway 99
Rocklin, CA- Planning for improved regional connections Almost every motorist in the Placer region has been stuck on traffic back-up on Highway 65, but as PCTPA continues to find ways to reduce this traffic, you’ll start spending less time in traffic and more time at work, shopping, or enjoying all that the Placer region has to offer.
One of the ways PCTPA is hoping to reduce traffic congestion on Highway 65 is by working with regional partners and developers to construct the Placer Parkway, a 15-mile long limited access expressway, connecting State Route 65 near the Whitney Boulevard interchange in Rocklin with State Route 70/99 north of Sacramento. This would create an additional east west connection between Placer County and Highway 99, so that people coming from south Placer County will have another option to travel to Sacramento without needing to jump on Highway 65 to Interstate 80.
Additionally, this project would accommodate future development as the region builds out. The full corridor for Placer Parkway was designed and program level environmental review was completed in 2010. Placer Parkway will be built from east to west and starts at the Whitney Ranch interchange, half of which was built by the City of Rocklin to accommodate its development plans.
$660 Million, 20-Year Project
While the full build-out of the Placer Parkway project is expected to cost over $660 million dollars and take about 20 years, Placer County is well underway with Phase 1, which is building the final half of the Whitney Ranch interchange at Highway 65 and a 1 1/2 mile roadway to Foothills Boulevard. The first phase of the project has completed project level environmental review and permitting.
Currently, the project team is working on final design (originally anticipated for 2016) and right-of-way acquisition. Other congestion relieving projects in South Placer are needed to accommodate both existing and new development, both of which must pay their fair share.
Once Placer County secures full funding, the first phase could go to construction in 2021 and be completed as early as 2023. Until then, PCTPA continues to work with Placer County to understand community transportation needs and bring projects to a “shovel ready” phase, so that when full- funding does become available, we can get right to work.
