Highway 70 improvements moving forward

Almost a year after it began, the East Nicolaus bypass project on Highway 70 in Sutter and Yuba counties is showing some obvious signs of progress.

Crews are nearly finished with a second bridge across the Bear River at the line between the two counties, and the strips of asphalt that will eventually be new lanes on Highway 70 are visible to drivers headed north and south on the two-lane highway.

Caltrans spokeswoman Kari Ehrman said that once the new Bear River bridge is complete, crews will begin work on expanding the existing bridge to the east to handle more traffic.

With a planned completion date in summer 2011, Highway 70 will have at least four lanes, two in each direction, from where the highway splits from Highway 99 in Sutter County to the Yuba River Bridge south of Marysville.

Ehrman said the project will also route the highway around East Nicolaus and a stop sign there that often backs up traffic significantly during commute times and when Sacramento-area music fans are headed to concerts at Sleep Train Amphitheatre near Wheatland.

She said the project, with an estimated cost of $82 million, is designed to both improve safety and reduce traffic delays.

Yuba County Supervisor Mary Jane Griego, whose district includes many Plumas Lake and Olivehurst residents who commute daily on Highway 70 to jobs in Sacramento, said safety is only the most obvious benefit from the highway project.

"A lot of us have lost people, friends on the highway," she said. "This is going to make for a safer, easier commute."

But improved transportation into Yuba County is also likely to boost retail development and spur more offerings at the county's sports and entertainment zone around the amphitheater, Griego said.

"I'm glad this isn't like a 'third bridge' project where it's talked about it and it never happens," Griego said, referring to the frequently discussed third span over the Feather River between Sutter and Yuba counties.

"This is a project that's going to completion," she said.

QUICK FACTS

• PROJECT START: June 2008

• PROJECT COMPLETION: 2011

• COST: $82 million

• HIGHLIGHTS: Four lanes between Feather River Bridge in Yuba County and Highway 99 in Sutter County. Reroute highway around town of East Nicolaus. Second bridge over Bear River.

• AGENCY: Caltrans