Early morning commute bottle neck on Auburn-Folsom Rd. and Eureka Rd. intersection.
Rest assured, the 21,000 residents of Granite Bay are not necessarily thrilled with the 30,000 vehicle trips through our community. However, the Auburn-Folsom Road and Douglas Blvd. thorough fares have become an important travel route between Sacramento and Placer Counties. These two roads are heavily traveled by commuters moving back and forth between the greater Folsom and Roseville regions.
Because of the significance of this commuter route it is imperative that the County of Placer finish the Auburn-Folsom widening project. As reported in the Sacramento Bee, March 27, 2012, Eminent domain now on the table in road widening, two families are obstructing the sale of the last parcels necessary to finish widening Auburn-Folsom from 2 to 4 lanes in Granite Bay.
I can certainly empathize with the families that want to be fairly compensated for their land. But if their asking price is unreasonable, Placer County must proceed with eminent domain for the greater good of the region.
The new Folsom Lake Crossing bridge, linking Auburn-Folsom Rd. and Natomas Rd, cost $121 million of Federal tax payer dollars and was estimated to handle 18,000 vehicle trips. Placer County is offering $305,000 to the two land owners to accommodate 30,000 vehicle trips.
The bottle neck at Auburn-Folsom Rd. and adjacent intersections of Eureka Rd and Fuller Dr. has become a constant head ache for commuters and residents alike. It is not unusual to see traffic backed up the 1/2 mile from Eureka Rd. north to Douglas. Residents have turned to alternate routes to shuttle their children to the area schools in order to avoid the traffic congestion and potential accidents.
It seems as if accidents within the bottle neck zone have increased since the construction finished widening Auburn-Folsom from the Sacramento County line to within a few hundred yards of Eureka Rd. Weekly, I see cars pulled off to the side of the road with broken glass and crushed bumpers. The additional accidents almost seems a given since the combination of curves, hills and high rate of speed on the four lane Auburn-Folsom suddenly transitions to the narrow bottle neck and two traffic lights.
Yuck. It pains me to say this, “Placer County, please move forward with eminent domain so residents and commuters can get back to safe travel in Granite Bay.”
On Tuesday March 27th, Placer County Supervisors voted to move forward with eminent domain. It is now being sent to the courts to work out a fair value for the property. In the mean time, the county said they will continue to negotiate a purchase price.