Beware the groan zone
Repair of waterlogged I-5 through downtown would close some lanes, ramps for much of 2008
By Melanie Turner of The Sacramento Business Journal
Friday, November 16, 2007
I-5's "boat" section was under water for nearly an entire weekend in Jan. 1980
when heavy rains and a broken valve at a nearby water treatment combined
to flood the highway.
Business leaders and Sacramento officials already are bracing for major traffic problems expected to hit everything from downtown streets to busy highways as a result of a long-term construction project set to start in March on Interstate 5.
While concerns are being raised, officials agree the repair work that would at times shut multiple lanes through downtown is necessary, and many hope to partner with the California Department of Transportation to alleviate the impact.
"We do know it's going to have tremendous impacts on our city streets," said Linda Tucker, spokeswoman for the city Department of Transportation.
"It has to be done," Tucker said. "But I don't think anybody's looking forward to it."
The around-the-clock construction activity to rehabilitate a worn-out section of I-5 between L and S streets is also expected to affect traffic flow on Highway 50, Interstate 80, Highway 99 and the Capital City Freeway.
I-5 is an important north-south economic link between the Canadian and Mexican borders. The section of road in need of repair serves more than 190,000 daily commuters, according to Caltrans.
City officials have been meeting regularly for nine months in an effort to craft an agreement with Caltrans that would outline ways to alleviate some of the traffic woes. Likewise, this week the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the city's central business district, pushed to establish a task force of property owners and businesses to help mitigate the impacts.
"There are some real concerns with how ... downtown is going to be impacted," Downtown Sacramento Partnership executive director Michael Ault said.
Caltrans estimates the closure of the lanes would last about nine months, from March through November.
While Caltrans typically works on freeways at night and on weekends, the agency would work 24 hours a day to speed up this $55 million project.
"We think we have a better plan," Caltrans spokesman Mark Dinger said. "Let's get in, get the work done and get out. But to do that, there's going to be impacts. We're going to be blocking lanes for long periods of time."
Caltrans estimates the project would last five and a half years if the agency worked only nights and weekends, driving up traffic-control costs.
Water table floats our 'boat'
The section of I-5 in need of repair is known as the "boat section" because it was constructed below the groundwater level and would become buoyant without the anchorage system that's underneath the road.
The drainage system that historically has kept water from seeping up to the pavement has become clogged, causing water to rise and crack the surface. At times, especially during the rainy season as water leaks through the cracks, Caltrans is forced to temporarily shut down lanes that become flooded.
"The system that's been there historically has worked very well," Dinger said. "But it's getting to the point that we need to fix it."
Caltrans would pull off the old pavement and lay down new drainage channels and a new layer of concrete.
The Caltrans work zone, which spans three to five lanes in each direction, would run from Richards Boulevard on the north to Sutterville Road on the south. Caltrans would close one or two lanes in each direction, leaving three lanes open in each direction during construction, Dinger said.
Caltrans also would install an electronic monitoring system. Four wells, each equipped with monitoring lights, pump water from beneath the road when the water gets too high. A red light indicates a pump has shut down and needs repair.
Caltrans employees drive back and forth along that stretch of highway and scan for the red warning lights. The new electronic system would enable Caltrans to monitor the pumps from its transportation management center -- or from mobile devices.
"We're going to make it so we can monitor it anytime, anywhere from PDA devices," Dinger said.
Old Sac 'very worried'
Caltrans is "on the verge" of awarding a contract to a consultant who will conduct an extensive public outreach campaign to inform people of traffic impacts associated with the project. The campaign would include freeway warning signs and television, print and radio ads.
Officials plan to encourage commuters to take transit and truckers to take alternative routes. Julie Sauls, vice president of external affairs for the California Trucking Association, said the trucking industry is "willing to do our part to help out."
"Considering those interstates were built to move goods, any diversion is obviously going to have an impact on the routes that we're taking," Sauls said. "We're pleased to see that they are addressing the infrastructure needs."
Some merchants are concerned about what Caltrans has cited as extended partial closures of certain on- and off-ramps in the work zone. For example, Caltrans' engineers estimate portions of J Street off-ramps could be closed for 39 days.
"All the merchants and property owners are very worried" about potential impacts to the entrance to Old Sacramento, said Lena Fat, director of food at Fat City Inc., parent company of California Fat's and Fat City in Old Sacramento.
But Dinger said the contractor will be given cash incentives to open the ramps sooner.
Annabeth Stem, acting manager for the Old Sacramento division of the city of Sacramento, said she expects the J Street off-ramps will be closed for 30 days, but she doesn't know when that will occur.
"Because there isn't a construction schedule, we don't know when it's going to happen, but we're bracing for it," she said. "We're concerned about two things: If roads are closed, people can't get here and there's the ripple effects. If people hear it's a mess, they're going to avoid downtown altogether.
"We know we'll lose some. We're not too worried about the tourists because they will find a way to get here. We're more worried about our regional residents."
How do they correct that?
"We're working on incentives and special deals. The feeling is, 'It's a pain to come here. but we'll make it worth your while.' "
"We're working on incentives and special deals. The feeling is, 'It's a pain to come here. but we'll make it worth your while.' "
Added Paul Hammond, director of the California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento, "I think there will be traffic issues until people figure out how to get around them, just like with the Tower Bridge -- people figured out how to work around it. ... From what I understand, any closures of on-ramps will be brief."
Hammond said people will continue to find their way to Old Sacramento.
"I think it will have more impact on the people dealing with it every day than the occasional visitor," he said. "I'm looking forward to that getting solved. A couple of wet, rainy winters, and we've got a real problem on our hands."
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