AUBURN, Calif. — Highway 49 is what many call the gateway to the American River Canyon, but between city traffic and people looking to enjoy hiking or biking in Auburn, things are moving a little slower than usual.
It's the second of three projects in Auburn aiming to improve traffic through the city onto SR-49 and make it safer for drivers.
John O’Connell with Caltrans says the area has grown in recent years, both as a place to live and for exploration. It's why Caltrans, Placer County, and the City of Auburn are working together on the project.
“Auburn is not quite the sleepy town it used to be. There's been growth going on there and traffic has definitely increased, especially up and down Highway 49 in recent years, so we’ve taken action to help mitigate some of that traffic flow through the city,” said O’Connell.
It’s all to improve a quarter-mile of the highway, straightening curved roadways that have led to crashes and caused headaches for truck drivers.
“There’s definitely been a number of collisions there in recent years, some kind of severe due to lack of sight lines due to those curves,” said O’Connell.
A roundabout will be installed at Borland Avenue and Lincoln Way. Though many drivers don’t favor them, their popularity is for a reason – they move traffic more efficiently and help cut down on crashes.
“Once you learn how to navigate them, they definitely help traffic flow because you eliminate stop lights and stop signs,” said O’Connell.
It's the second of two large Auburn-area projects. The first is a roadway improvement project near Dry Creek Road in the northern part of the city.
The second, the roundabout project, is slated to be finished by fall.
The third project will make improvements to SR-49 near Lone Star Road, which likely won’t start until late 2023.
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