The Draft Environmental Document was available for review from August 6th - September 4th, 2018. The proposed generally consists of widening the existing 2 lane highway to four lanes with a continuous 2 way turning lane, for a total of 5 lanes.
State Route 70: It's Time to Finish the Job!
The Butte County Association of Governments, Butte County, and the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) have worked for over two decades to provide safe and reliable four-lane access on State Route 70 between the cities of Sacramento and Chico, CA. Widening this rural highway will enhance public safety and positively impact the local, regional, and state economies.
After thirteen fatalities in 2017 alone, it's time to finish the job!
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In 1988 the California Transportation Commission (CTC) placed the State Routes 70 and 99 Corridor on their “Special Studies List” asking for a corridor study to be prepared to determine which of the two routes should be the focus for future highway investments to provide an expressway for ultimate conversion to freeway, to connect Sacramento and Chico. This corridor study would then serve as a basis for future transportation investments by Caltrans and the Metropolitan Planning Organizations in the corridor.
The State Routes 70 and 99 Corridor Study was prepared by the Butte County Association of Governments (BCAG), the Sacramento Area Association of Governments (SACOG) and Caltrans District 3, and was adopted by BCAG and SACOG in 1990.
The preferred alignment chosen from the State Routes 70 and 99 Corridor Study to connect Chico and Sacramento was the State Route 70 Corridor. While the State Route 70 Corridor was the preferred alignment or “Focus Route” for a mainline connection between Sacramento and Chico, other transportation improvements along the State Routes 99 and 65 Corridors were also identified by the Study.
Since adoption of the Corridor study in 1990 over $543 million in transportation investments have been completed with $291 million programmed for a total of nearly $834 million.
The remaining projects identified below by segments would fulfill the original commitment from the 1988 California Transportation Blueprint to connect California’s remaining urbanized areas to the continuous 4-lane highway system. The total distance of existing 2-lane highway that needs to be upgraded to 4 lanes is approximately 21 miles between Oroville and Marysville.
The goal is to complete a continuous 5-Lane facility (2 lanes per direction, 1 center turn lane, and 8-foot shoulders on both sides). This would be a similar design standard as the passing lanes north of E. Gridley Rd. Another example would be State Route 99 south of Yuba City.
1. Segment 1 - SR 70 from Ophir Rd to Palermo Rd (Passing Lane). The estimated cost is $48.4 million ($34 million in State Highway Operations Protection Program (SHOPP) "Safety" funds, $7.2 million in Caltrans Interregional Improvement Program (IIP), and $7.2 million in BCAG's Regional Improvement Program (RIP) funds. The scope of the project is to widen from a 2 lanes to 4 lanes. Construction is recommended for the 2019/20 fiscal year.
2. Segment 2 - SR 70 from Palermo Rd to Cox Lane (Passing Lane). The estimated cost is $43 million ($29.8 million in SHOPP "Safety" funds, $6.6 million in Caltrans IIP and $7.2 million in BCAG's RIP funds. The scope of the project is to widen from a 2 lanes to 4 lanes. Construction is recommended for the 2019/20 fiscal year.
3. Segment 3 - SR 70 from near East Gridley Rd to South Butte/Yuba County Line (Passing Lane). The estimated cost is $76 million ($51.2 million in SHOPP "Safety" funds, $10.9 million in Caltrans IIP and $10.9 million in BCAG's RIP funds. The scope of the project is to widen from a 2 lanes to 4 lanes. Construction is recommended for the 2022/23 fiscal year.
4. Segment 4- SR 70 from Butte/Yuba County Line on the north to . The estimated cost is $85 million ($51.2 million in SHOPP "Safety" funds have been secured. The funds needed to bring this corridor to 5 lanes is $15 million. The scope of the project is to widen from a 2 lanes to 4 lanes.
5. Segment 5 - SR 70 from near East Gridley Rd to South Butte/Yuba County Line (Passing Lane). The estimated cost is $65 million ($44 million in SHOPP "Safety" funds have been secured. The funds needed to bring this corridor to 5 lanes is $21 million. The scope of the project is to widen from a 2 lanes to 4 lanes.
While BCAG has identified a financially constrained plan to complete the remaining segments in Butte County (Segments 1-3), we still have a funding shortfall of $36 million for the section of SR 70 in Yuba County.
BCAG submitted an INFRA grant (Infrastructure for Rebuilding America) by the U.S. Department of Transportation under the Trump Administration. Applications for the INFRA grant program were due by November 2, 2017. We look forward to working with Congressman Doug LaMalfa and John Garamendi who represent the region.
BCAG would appreciate your individual, group, company, agency support with a simple letter in which we can include as part of the federal grant application process. You can email your support to staff at BCAG to Mr. Ivan Garcia, Programming Manager at igarcia@bcag.org.
If you would like a presentation or would like to talk more about the projects or process, please send us an email.
This section of the website aims to keep the public current on matters concerning the development of the corridor. Please feel free to call the BCAG offices at 530-809-4603 if you have any questions or comments about the project.
BCAG initiating work efforts/research to legislatively designate SR 70 a "safety corridor".
BCAG is developing the 2018 Regional Transportation Improvement Program (RTIP) document which will identify the last 3 segments of SR 70 for Butte County. Scheduled adoption is December 2017. Please visit BCAG's RTIP webpage for specifics.
Segments 1 & 2 environmental components are underway. Target completion is July 2018.
August 25, 2017 - BCAG Participates in "Transportation Forum" hosted by Congressmen Garamendi and LaMalfa at Caltrans District offices in Marysville.