Levee Work to Close More Natomas Roadways

THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz

Garden Highway remains closed but is expected to re-open to through traffic “within the next few weeks,” according to an update issued today by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The levee improvement work has encountered more than one delay.

“We had some rain that slowed us down in January. Obviously that wasn’t an issue in February but it’s all been related to reconnecting Sump 58,” Army Corps spokesperson Tyler Stalker wrote in an email. “The sump work is not yet complete but they estimate it will be in the next few days so I’m hopeful next week I can have a better firm date for when the repaving will start/be complete.”

The road between Northgate Boulevard to Natomas Park Drive was closed in July 2019 and was expected to reopen to Oct. 31, 2019. In January, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cited wet weather for the extended road closure and said it would open in mid-February. But according to the most recent update, trouble related to reconnecting utilities has kept the road closed.

“The Good News: Construction crews have worked through those issues and expect to reopen this section of roadway within the next few weeks,” the update read.

But, the U.S. Army Corps noted, there’s still work to do which will create additional road closures going forward:

• Beginning later this month: Del Paso Road/Main Avenue will have intermittent, extended closures where it intersects with the levee along Steelhead Creek. This closure will intermittently block vehicles travelling east and west across the creek, and will detour them to another crossing.
• In April and May: West El Camino Avenue will have similar intermittent, extended closures where it intersects with the levee along Steelhead Creek. This closure will also block vehicles travelling east and west across the creek, and will detour them to the Arden-Garden Connector. West El Camino and Garden Highway will not be closed at the same time in order to limit traffic impacts.
• May to July: Garden Highway is scheduled to close for intermittent, extended closures between Natomas Park Drive and the Interstate 5 ramps. There will be no crossing the I-5 underpass during this time, and vehicles accessing the highway ramps from the east will be detoured around the closure. Bicycle path accessibility will remain with a detour in Garden Highway’s eastbound #2 lane, which will have barriers separating cyclists from vehicle traffic. Again, West El Camino and Garden Highway will not be closed at the same time in order to limit traffic impacts.
• July to September: Garden Highway is scheduled to close for intermittent, extended closures between Gateway Oaks Drive and the Interstate 5 ramps. There will be no crossing the I-5 underpass during this time, and vehicles accessing the highway ramps from the west will be detoured around the closure. Bicycle path accessibility will remain with a detour in Garden Highway’s eastbound #2 lane, which will have barriers separating cyclists from vehicle traffic.
• Also this year: The U.S. Army Corps will be starting construction further west on the Reach B levee segment (Garden Highway between San Juan and Power Line roads), where we will be constructing an adjacent levee. This section of work is expected to take two construction seasons, and is scheduled to begin later this spring.

The Army Corps, California Central Valley Flood Protection Board, California Department of Water Resources and Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency are constructing levee improvements in the Lower Natomas Basin.

Map showing planned levee improvements in the Natomas Basin.