Cal trans vehicles traffic has increased along Highway 20 east of Nevada City as work on the Highway 20 pavement rehabilitation project has begun. The $34.6 million project is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.
Work started this week on a $34.6 million pavement rehabilitation project along State Route 20 (SR 20) between Nevada City and the Interstate 80 interchange. The road rehabilitations project is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.
Lighted signage warning drivers of road construction can be seen along portions of Highway 20 east of Nevada City where the multi-million dollar pavement rehabilitation project has begun.
Due to demolition work of a westbound bridge span, drivers can expect road closures on Eastbound State Route 20 at Interstate 80 beginning May 3 through May 22. Motorists looking to connect to I-80 from eastbound SR 20 will detour southbound on State Route 49 (SR 49) to connect with I-80 in Auburn or southbound on State Route 174 to connect with I-80 in Colfax.
Motorists following a pilot vehicle are guided through one lane of traffic along Highway 20 at Harmony Ridge. A multi-million dollar pavement rehab project is currently underway along portions of Highway 20 between Nevada City and Interstate 80.
An illuminated sign warns drivers heading east along Highway 20 out of Nevada City, of the impending closure of the highway’s intersection with Interstate 80. Closures will last between May 3 and May 22.
State Route 20 parts a corridor of trees east of Nevada City. Caltrans will work on a pavement rehab project here through 2027.
The 4-phased pavement rehabilitation began on Monday with the clearing of organic debris around the area for the pull outs. The main pavement work is scheduled to start in June and be completed by the end of 2027. Motorists along Highway 20 east of Nevada City should expect delays.
Cal trans vehicles traffic has increased along Highway 20 east of Nevada City as work on the Highway 20 pavement rehabilitation project has begun. The $34.6 million project is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.
Work started this week on a $34.6 million pavement rehabilitation project along State Route 20 (SR 20) between Nevada City and the Interstate 80 interchange. The road rehabilitations project is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.
Lighted signage warning drivers of road construction can be seen along portions of Highway 20 east of Nevada City where the multi-million dollar pavement rehabilitation project has begun.
Due to demolition work of a westbound bridge span, drivers can expect road closures on Eastbound State Route 20 at Interstate 80 beginning May 3 through May 22. Motorists looking to connect to I-80 from eastbound SR 20 will detour southbound on State Route 49 (SR 49) to connect with I-80 in Auburn or southbound on State Route 174 to connect with I-80 in Colfax.
Motorists following a pilot vehicle are guided through one lane of traffic along Highway 20 at Harmony Ridge. A multi-million dollar pavement rehab project is currently underway along portions of Highway 20 between Nevada City and Interstate 80.
An illuminated sign warns drivers heading east along Highway 20 out of Nevada City, of the impending closure of the highway’s intersection with Interstate 80. Closures will last between May 3 and May 22.
State Route 20 parts a corridor of trees east of Nevada City. Caltrans will work on a pavement rehab project here through 2027.
The 4-phased pavement rehabilitation began on Monday with the clearing of organic debris around the area for the pull outs. The main pavement work is scheduled to start in June and be completed by the end of 2027. Motorists along Highway 20 east of Nevada City should expect delays.
Work has begun on a $34.6 million pavement rehabilitation project along State Route 20 (SR 20) in Nevada County that will extend the service life of the existing pavement and improve ride quality on nearly 26 miles of highway between Nevada City and the junction with Interstate 80.
The project was funded in part by $3.6 million from Senate Bill (SB) 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017.
Upcoming work includes rehabilitating the pavement and drainage systems, constructing maintenance vehicle pull outs, and upgrading guardrail, signs and Transportation Management System (TMS) elements.
One-way traffic control began on Monday and is currently happening in the first location of the project in the area just past Dow Road approximately a half mile up from Nevada Street.
The schedule in place right now is Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and then 7 a.m. to noon on Friday, according to Jeremy Linder, Public Information Officer for Caltrans District 3.
“Crews are focusing around the area near Five Mile House,” Linder said. “They’re doing some of the clearing and the vegetation removal to construct the maintenance vehicle pull out. They’re also doing a little bit of drainage work in that area.”
Vehicle traffic wait times are expected to be “short durations,” according to Linder. “The impact shouldn’t be more than maybe an extra 10 or 15 minutes maximum, if someone hits that queue just right.”
As the project progresses, the crews will move into three more locations.
Starting next week, crews are hoping to do some more of the culvert cleaning work, which might be allowed on just with a shoulder closure.
“We’ll have a better idea with that, as those lane closures are submitted and approved, but they’re hoping, when they work on the culverts, to be able to not have an impact to traffic,” Linder said.
The bigger impacts are expected in June, when the actual paving work begins.
The contractor is currently indicating that they want to try to do two mile stretches in a 24 hour shift – the first half of the shift they will grind out two miles of highway, and the second half of the shift they will repave two miles worth of highway – and then just continue to move along the corridor from there.
The 24-hour shifts mean both day and night work, however, schedules may change over the next couple of months depending on the initial culvert work progress.
“I am not aware of any plans for complete closures,” Linder said in regards to the repaving project.
The Caltrans map of the four locations across the corridor shows the areas to be repaved with a red line. The grey thin lined gaps in between are where the Omega Curves Project took place fairly recently.
“There’s no reason to redo the pavement in those sections because they’re less than two years in already,” Linder said. “This project basically covers the gaps in between and brings that pavement life back up to good standing, along with the added benefits of the culvert cleaning that’s going to be involved and the couple handful of maintenance vehicle pull outs that are going to be constructed.”
Knife River Construction of Chico is the prime contractor for the project, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.
The project also engaged external partners to facilitate best practices for incorporating roadside fire fuel reduction activities near structures and to extend wildfire breaks along SR 20, which functions as a primary emergency response and evacuation route.
“We take pride in the communities we serve every day and strive to improve their lives through transportation,” said Caltrans District 3 Director Sergio Aceves. “State Route 20 is a vital corridor for Nevada County and it’s important to improve the highway’s safety, serviceability and ride quality with pavement improvement projects such as this one.”
SB 1 provides $5 billion in transportation funding annually that is shared equally between state and local agencies.
Road projects progress through construction phases more quickly based on the availability of SB 1 funds, including projects that are partially funded by SB 1.
Visit build.ca.gov/ to learn more about transformative infrastructure projects happening in communities throughout the state.
Eastbound State Route 20 closure scheduled at Interstate 80 Junction due to demolition of westbound bridge span
Caltrans is alerting motorists about an upcoming 11-day closure of eastbound State Route 20 (SR 20) at the junction with Interstate 80 (I-80) as part of the $112 million Yuba Pass Separation Overhead Bridge Project.
Crews are scheduled to start demolition of the westbound bridge span along I-80 that crosses directly over SR 20 on Sunday, May 3. For safety reasons, eastbound SR 20 will be closed between the Omega Scenic Overlook and the junction with I-80.
The schedule is as follows:
Detour:
Motorists looking to connect to I-80 from eastbound SR 20 will detour southbound on State Route 49 (SR 49) to connect with I-80 in Auburn or southbound on State Route 174 to connect with I-80 in Colfax.
Large trucks are directed to only use SR 49.
Additionally, the eastbound I-80 off-ramp to westbound SR 20 will also be closed. Motorists will detour along eastbound I-80 to Eagle Lakes Road, then head back westbound on I-80 and take the off-ramp to westbound SR 20.
Crews will be on site to enforce the closure with access for emergency vehicles only. Westbound SR 20 will remain open for travel between Truckee and the Nevada City/Grass Valley area.
The schedule is subject to change or be delayed due to weather, availability of materials or other unexpected events.
Motorists are reminded that the speed limit within the construction zone has been reduced to 55 mph and the California Highway Patrol will be present for traffic enforcement.
Flatiron Construction of Concord is the prime contractor. The project will replace the current bridge and improve freight efficiency along I-80 by increasing the load carrying capacity for extra-legal load trucks.
The project will also construct median barriers, upgrade drainage and install roadway weather information systems. Work is expected to be completed by winter 2027.
Caltrans District 3 is responsible for maintaining and operating 4,385 lane miles in 11 Sacramento Valley and Northern Sierra counties. Caltrans reminds motorists to “Be Work Zone Alert” and slow in construction zones for the safety of travelers and crews performing these improvements.
Caltrans issues construction and road condition updates on X @CaltransDist3 and on Facebook at CaltransDistrict3. For real-time traffic information, click on Caltrans’ QuickMap quickmap.dot.ca.gov/ or download the QuickMap app from the App Store or Google Play.
Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.
We recommend switching to one of the following browsers:
