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Give Your Input on Placer County Traffic

By Mike Luken, Executive Director, Placer County Transportation Planning Agency April 12, 2021


Despite the pandemic and the changes our community and businesses have faced over the past year, our region is one of the few in our state experiencing growth. With an increasing amount of Bay Area residents migrating to our cities and new housing development projects underway, traffic remains an issue in Placer County. 

According to Caltrans data, the evening traffic peak period levels are only 7 percent lower than the numbers we experienced in 2019. Overall, our traffic levels have returned to approximately 90 percent of pre-pandemic numbers. Vaccines are rolling out and businesses and office buildings are expected to re-open soon. PCTPA has plans to make the much-needed improvements to our roads and highways so our residents are spending more time with their families, not stuck in traffic.

Placer County remains one of the largest counties in California without a local funding source to put up as a match for state and federal funding for transportation infrastructure projects. We recently were awarded grant funding for alternative transportation projects because we applied with Sacramento County, a county with a dedicated local funding source. While we are ecstatic for this opportunity to be able to begin constructing some improvements to our community, this grant cannot be used for major expansion projects like widening Highway 65 or finishing the 80/65 interchange project that Placer desperately needs. We must have a dedicated local funding source.  We lived nearly all of 2020 at the mercy of state and federal government rules, guidelines, and regulations. If the last year has taught us anything, it’s that local control over our quality of life in Placer County is what’s best for those of us who call this beautiful County home.

PCTPA is dedicated to ensuring our necessary transportation infrastructure projects are completed to preserve south Placer’s unmatched quality of life.  Starting in April and running through May, we will be inviting the community to discuss transportation challenges in Placer and invite you to participate in these virtual workshops. All workshops will be virtual and run from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

  • April 15 - Rocklin West of I-80
  • April 19 - West Roseville
  • April 22 - Rocklin Park Boulevard
  • April 26 - North Lincoln
  • April 29 - Rocklin Whitney Ranch
  • May 3 – Central Lincoln
  • May 6 – Loomis/Rural Loomis
  • May 10 - Southeast Lincoln/Rural Lincoln
  • May 13 - Auburn/North Auburn
  • May 17 - Colfax/Rural Colfax
  • May 20 - Tahoe Basin/Adjacent Areas
  • May 24 - Granite Bay
  • May 27 - Southeast/Central Roseville

More information on local transportation challenges and a schedule of these virtual workshops in your community will be available at www.keepplacermoving.com. Pre-registration for a workshop is requested.

Together we can plan for the future of south Placer County and ensure that our growing community can get the transportation improvements we need to keep our community thriving.