Parking capacity is more than doubled for this years’ shuttle service with the addition of a second parking lot in Camino. Free shuttle parking will be offered at Schnell School in Placerville and the U.S. Forest Services Placerville Ranger Station, just off Highway 50, on Eight Mile Road in Camino. The Apple Hill® Shuttle is the ideal way to visit some of El Dorado County’s most popular orchards, ranches, wineries and family attractions, during the peak of the harvest season, without the headaches of traffic and parking. Visitors get on and off the shuttles as many times as they like at any of 29 designated Shuttle stops throughout Apple Hill®.

El Dorado Transit will operate five (5) buses and a trolley on a continuous loop, every 15-20 minutes from two (2) satellite parking lots just off US 50 in Placerville and Camino. Schnell School is located at 2871 Schnell School Road, 0.1 miles north of U.S Highway 50. The Placerville Ranger Station is located just south of U.S. Highway 50 in Camino at 4260 Eight Mile Road. “This new parking facility on the eastern side offers Apple Hill® visitors from the Reno/Tahoe area an opportunity to take advantage of the same convenient service visitors traveling from the west have enjoyed,” said El Dorado Transit Executive Director, Mindy Jackson.

To ride the FREE Apple Hill® Shuttle from Placerville, take exit #48 off US Highway 50 (Schnell School Road) and follow the signs 0.1 miles north to the Schnell School parking lot, located on the right. To catch the shuttle in Camino, take exit #54 (Cedar Grove) and follow the signs to Eight Mile Road; the Ranger Station entrance is on the right. Coordinators at the parking lots can supply you with maps and all the information you need to make the most of your Apple Hill® visit.

The first meeting will be held at Rancho Cordova City Hall, American River North Room, 2729 Prospect Park Drive, on Wednesday, October 15. The second one will be Thursday, October 23 at the Folsom Community Center, 52 Natomas Street in Folsom. Both meetings are from 6 - 7:30 p.m. and refreshments will be served.

The Regional Transit Master Plan will entail light rail extensions, express buses that mean faster journey times, new local bus and shuttle routes, and, an exciting addition to Sacramento, streetcars. Your input will help prioritize investments that support a high quality and high frequency transit system that best serves the needs of our communities and our maturing region. Broad community participation is necessary to make this a reality.

To RSVP call 916.556.0302 or e-mail rsvp@sacrt.com

Should a blasting misfire, the highway could be delayed for up to 30 minutes.

The first blasting is scheduled for Thursday. The following 4 blastings will be annouced via electronic signs.

Motorists should attemp to avoid this area during blasting.

You can also sign up to have traffic alerts emailed to you or sent to your cell phone.

Sacramento County, in collaboration with Sacramento Regional Transit and Rancho Cordova, is working on a strategy for implementing transit oriented development along the Folsom Boulevard light rail corridor near the Butterfield, Sunrise and Hazel light rail stations.

The process is addressing possible revisions of current zoning ordinances to accomodate transit oriented development.

The Sept 4 meeting will review draft Special Planning Area planning documents, including proposed land use plans.

For more information, click here.

For more information on Marshall's commute program, contact Ann Schmidt.

To RSVP, call Megan McMurtry at 851-8782.  The workshop will be held at City Hall.

Overnight and weekend work will continue. This work includes final paving along the shoulder of southbound I-5 and at the P and Q Street on and off-ramps. Electrical and drainage work associated with Boat Section's 20 new monitoring and three new de-watering wells will also continue alongside the project. These new elements will one day allow Caltrans engineers to closely monitor the hydrostatic forces at work beneath the Boat Section.

Final completion is expected in late September or early October.

Caltrans plans to build seven miles of high-occupancy lanes in each direction on Highway 50 between Sunrise Boulevard and Watt Avenue. Carpool lanes exist on the freeway between Sunrise and El Dorado Hills boulevards.

The Environmental Council of Sacramento and others sued, arguing they believe carpool lanes increase car usage, and contending that Caltrans failed to present analyses that showed otherwise.

Caltrans said its environmental review was sufficient.

The fourth and final stage of the project, which is the full closure of northbound I-5 through downtown Sacramento, is now scheduled to begin Friday, July 18 at 8 p.m. The re-opening of those northbound lanes is now scheduled for Monday, July 28 by 5 a.m.

The Sacramento area’s recent heat wave dramatically reduced work time for crews placing the polyester-based concrete onto the roadway. That polyester concrete will serve as the final driving surface for the rebuilt lanes of I-5’s Boat Section between L and S Streets in downtown Sacramento. Due to extremely high temperatures, paving crews lost valuable work time in each day of the stage.

For more information please visit www.fixI5.com

The night time ramp closures are being utilized to minimize impacts to daytime motorists during reconstruction of the ramp.

Construction on the U.S. 50 - Missouri Flat Road Interchange is expected to be completed in fall 2008.

Each year, typically during the hot summer months, the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District (SMAQMD) declares several days as “Spare the Air” due to high atmospheric ozone levels. In an effort to improve air quality in our region and encourage the use of public transit options, El Dorado Transit and the El Dorado County Air Quality Management District are sponsoring free transit on all “Spare the Air” days in 2008. The region experienced five (5) “Spare the Air” days during the 2007 summer smog season.

El Dorado Transit operates community shuttles, six days a week, throughout the western slope of El Dorado County including the towns of Placerville, Cameron Park, Shingle Springs, Pollock Pines, Camino and Diamond Springs. In addition, El Dorado Transit offers twelve (12) week day commuter routes to and from downtown Sacramento as well as connector service to the Light Rail in Folsom.

Sponsorship of El Dorado Transit’s “Spare the Air” Free Fare project will come in part from a grant for motor vehicle emission reduction projects awarded by the El Dorado County Air Quality Management District in July, 2007. The overall goal of such projects is to reduce air pollution emissions from motor vehicles in the Sacramento Federal Ozone Nonattainment Area. The program is funded by DMV Surcharge Fees.   

For further details on all of El Dorado Transit’s services or trip planning assistance call El Dorado Transit at (530) 642-5383 or visit our website at www.eldoradotransit.com

Results from the recent Transit Improvement on-line survey will be discussed.

An agenda, along with meeting minutes and other related docuemtns, can be found in the Transit Improvement box to the right on this page.

Project updates will resume when Stage 3 of the project gets underway with a closure of southbound I-5 between Richards Blvd. and the U.S. Highway 50/Capitol City Freeway interchange beginning at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, July 8.

June 18 at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.: El Dorado County DOT will host a workshop to discuss the Ponderosa Road/South Shingle Road Interchange Improvement Project on US 50. The project is currently in the planning and environmental analysis phase. The two workshops will be held in the El Dorado County Planning Commission Hearing Room, 2850 Fairlane Court, in Placerville. For more information, contact Jennifer Maxwell at 530-621-5987.

June 19 at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. - El Dorado County DOT will host a wokshop on Cameron Park Drive and Green Valley Road Intersection improvements. The project includes widing Green Valley Road, adding auxiliary lanes along with bike lanes, curbs, gutters and sidewalks, installing retaining walls and upgrading the signals at Green Valley Road and Cameron Park Drive. The workshop will be held at the Cameron Park Community Services District at 3200 Country Club Drive.

June 25 at 6 p.m.: The El Dorado County Transportation Commission is hopting an open house in the "old" gym at Camino Elementary School to discuss the Camino Corridor Project Study Report (PSR). The purpose of the open house is to present the goals and objective of the PSR and solicit feedback and input from the community.

Below is a summary of Friday night's activities:

-Hoe rams and excavators completed work to remove the old pavement in lane #2 of the Boat Section. This work was expedited when crews got an early start by saw cutting the old pavement Wednesday and Thursday nights. By the end of the day on Saturday, crews hope to complete work to install new drainage elements and place rebar. The southbound side's first concrete pour is scheduled to begin Sunday.
-Crews also began saw cutting the #4 lane as preparation for concrete removal today.
-Painting crews are completing preparations for the staining of the west retaining wall with the Boat Section's new color scheme. Staining will begin today.
-On the north end of the project, crews continued work to remove and replace damaged slabs at various locations in both directions. Drivers will see some northbound lane closures again tonight and tomorrow morning as work at that location continues.
-Drillers also cored for two more monitoring wells - so far, crews have drilled 10 of the 20 new wells, which will one day allow Caltrans engineers to monitor hydrostatic forces at work beneath the Boat Section.
-The Traffic Management team reports a quiet night through the "Cone Zone". No major incidents were reported. Early Saturday morning, drivers slowed on northbound I-5 where three of the four lanes were closed as planned for slab replacement. The closures, combined with traffic that was much heavier than anticipated, triggered an early morning slowdown. By 9:45 a.m. - three of four lanes were re-opened and traffic was back on the move.

Engineering staff reports that work crews appear better prepared for work on the southbound lanes - thanks to experience gleaned during Stage 1 of this project. At this early stage, crews are on schedule to meet or beat the June 23 deadline.

Below is a summary of work completed yesterday and early this morning.
--After a 24-hour curing period, temporary striping and delineation was placed on all lanes of northbound I-5 between the U.S. Highway 50/Capitol City Freeway and Richards Blvd.
--Final paving of the ramp from westbound U.S. Highway 50 to northbound I-5 has also been completed.
--Work to repair damaged pavement on northbound I-5 approaching Richards Blvd. has also been completed using a rapid-set concrete with a four-hour cure time.
--Drainage work has been completed in the newly-paved center medians of northbound I-5 approaching the U.S. Highway 50 Capitol City Freeway and Richards Blvd.
--Coring samples were also taken from the pavement of southbound I-5 to allow engineers to have a better idea of what to expect when workers begin removing pavement from those lanes starting Friday, June 13.
--In the overnight hours, crews changed or took down traffic control devices and signage in preparation for today's re-opening.
Motorists are reminded that this is not the final driving surface and to expect rough, unfinished pavement with temporary striping and delineation.

Please stay alert and remember that the speed limit has been lowered to 55 miles per hour. A final layer of polyester concrete and a sealant will be applied to finish these lanes during Stage 3 of the project scheduled between June 26 and July 3.

Data collected by the Caltrans Traffic Management team shows that traffic on northbound I-5 through the Fix I-5 project was cut by more than half -- thanks to commuters who took alternate routes, utilized transit, rode bikes and worked with their employers to telecommute, change work hours or even take vacation. Their help and cooperation will be needed again during Stage 2 of this project which begins Friday, June 13 with a complete closure of southbound I-5 between Richards Blvd. and the U.S. Highway 50/Capitol City Freeway interchange.

All lanes of I-5 will remain open until Stage 2 of this project begins at 8 p.m. on Friday, June 13.   

Also, you can find six new I-5 traffic cameras (above) on 50 Corridor's three camera shots. The new camera locations are listed at the bottom on the three camera menus. Click on the down arrow to access the menu.

The Traffic Management Center reports several accidents stymied last night's commute. The worst occurred at 3:53 p.m. when a big rig accident caused metal and wood debris to be spilled into the two right lanes of northbound I-5 at Fruitridge Road/Seamus Avenue. Thanks to a quick response, the debris was moved onto to the shoulder by 4:09 p.m.

Caltrans reminds drivers to stay alert as they approach the closure and to "Slow for the Cone Zone."

Project engineering staff remains optimistic that all lanes will re-open by Monday, June 9.

The project calls for approximately two weeks of lane and ramp restructions to each direction of 1-5 fromt he Capitol City Freeway/US 50 interchange to Richards Boulevard. During the construction period, contractors willreplace freeway drainage and pavement.

Caltrans is recommending that commuters plan for alternative routes and alternatives modes of transportation.

The weekend festival is planned for September 12-14.

For more details, check out the video announcment on the Corridor Cam Channel to the right.

The City of Rancho Cordova and Regional Transit will host an open house on Wednesday to receive input on future transit needs. The open house will be held at Rancho Cordova City Hall, in the Council Chambers, 2729 Prospect Park Drive, from 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.sacrt.com/tmp.