Lincoln Bypass opens Monday to traffic
Commuters and Roseville shoppers from Yuba-Sutter will no longer face traffic slowdowns in Lincoln starting next week with the opening of the long-awaited Highway 65 Lincoln Bypass.
Caltrans announced Friday that the 12-mile long stretch of highway will open to traffic on Monday. The $292 million first phase of the bypass project is the longest stretch of new highway built in California in a decade, Caltrans said.
"This project is good for the community, good for commuters and a winner for local businesses," Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty said.
The new construction will allow an estimated 20,000 vehicles a day that pass through Lincoln to bypass the Placer County city. Local drivers who shop in Roseville or use Highway 65 to connect to Interstate 80 routinely face traffic snarls in downtown Lincoln.
"It will relieve traffic congestion through the heart of Lincoln, enhance the movement of good and save drivers money because they won't be stuck in traffic burning up $4-a-gallon gas," Dougherty said.
The new bypass begins north of Sheridan and ends at Industrial Boulevard. The $292 million pricetag includes $49 million from the 2006 voter-approved transportation bond Proposition 1B.
Work on the second phase of the project will continue and will extend the four-lane section of the bypass from Nelson Lane to about one mile north of West Wise Road. That phase is expected to be completed next summer.
Completion of the bypass is also seen as a critical element in the future development of Wheatland. City officials have said the creation of a smoother route from the south Yuba County city to Roseville could move the annexation and development plans forward.
