Sacramento Transportation

[SacDTRes]

How often does RT publish statistics about ridership? Has the blue line extension met or exceeded ridership expectations? And what impact has Golden One had on usage? For a transit organization that is trying to improve their image, I believe transparency on usage statistics would greatly help.

I rode Light Rail and the bus a couple of times to events at G1C, and about half the riders were going there as well. So to me it appears numbers should be up.

[ibon]

https://www.sacrt.com/MPR.stm

[ltsmotorsport]

Sacramento streetcar line gets $50 million in congressional budget
BY TONY BIZJAK
tbizjak@sacbee.com

Sacramento’s effort to build a downtown streetcar got a critical financial boost this week from Congress, opening the possibility that construction could begin in a year or two on the long-stalled project.

As part of its bipartisan 2017 budget agreement, announced Monday, Congress has included $50 million to help construct the four-mile rail line planned for downtown Sacramento streets and for the riverfront area in West Sacramento.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/tra...#storylink=cpy

[CastleScott]

^ This great yuge news for downtown and West Sac!

[NorCal Sports Fan]

Hey guys - I am not sure if this has been discussed before but as some of you know who has been paying attention driving along our freeways, we have had a ton of the old signs along the freeways replaced in the past year.

Last night while heading to Sac on the Capital City Freeway coming from Roseville, I happened to notice that when I got to the 50 & 99 Interchange, the Business Loop 80 signs disappeared on the U.S. 50 stretch of Business Loop 80 and only indicated it was U.S. 50 and not both Bus 80 and U.S. 50.

Has anyone else noticed this? Maybe when they redid all the signs, maybe they decided to end Business Loop 80 at 50 & 99 vs having both 50 & BL80 go to 80 in West Sac?

[NickB1967]

Originally Posted by NorCal Sports Fan

Hey guys - I am not sure if this has been discussed before but as some of you know who has been paying attention driving along our freeways, we have had a ton of the old signs along the freeways replaced in the past year.

Last night while heading to Sac on the Capital City Freeway coming from Roseville, I happened to notice that when I got to the 50 & 99 Interchange, the Business Loop 80 signs disappeared on the U.S. 50 stretch of Business Loop 80 and only indicated it was U.S. 50 and not both Bus 80 and U.S. 50.

Has anyone else noticed this? Maybe when they redid all the signs, maybe they decided to end Business Loop 80 at 50 & 99 vs having both 50 & BL80 go to 80 in West Sac?

"Business Loop 80" is largely symbolic, defined by and consisting of two parts, going from west to east:

1. U.S. 50 from it's eastbound beginning / westbound terminus where it merges into Interstate 80, to where it meets the massive interchange of Route 99 Southbound and (unsigned) "Route 51" Northbound. Here, Business 80 goes:

2. (Unsigned) "Route 51" northbound from the U.S. 50 & Route 99 interchange to "The Split", where it merges into Interstate 80. This portion is signed as "Business 80", but legally CalTrans classifies this stretch of road as (unsigned) "Route 51".

Up there, Business 80 also merges into the very short (also unsigned) "Route 244" offramp which terminates at Auburn Boulevard. This unsigned Route 244 would be an onramp to either Interstate 80 or Business 80 going the other way.

Route 244 was supposed to go further into Carmichael, Fair Oaks and Orangevale, but this was blocked in a fit of utterly shortsighted Luddite stupidity.

See here for more details:

http://www.cahighways.org/maps-sac-fwy.html

Where you can click to links of what was proposed and what might have been:

http://www.cahighways.org/maps/195x-sac.jpg (What was envisioned)

http://www.cahighways.org/maps/1963sac.jpg (before the "Great Renumbering of 1964", proposed freeways or other highways were shown as boxed "Legislative Route Numbers")

http://www.cahighways.org/maps/1994sac.jpg (what exists and what was still proposed in 1994, but is not going to happen)

[CastleScott]

Looks like downtown businesses voted to tax them selves for the streetcar:

A streetcar tax just passed in Sacramento
BY RYAN LILLIS AND TONY BIZJAK
rlillis@sacbee.com
My feed
Sacramento’s planned streetcar system is another step closer to reality.

Nearly 80 percent of major central city businesses have agreed to tax themselves a combined $50 million over the next 25 years to help cover the system’s operating costs. Of the 314 ballots counted as of Wednesday, 250 voters agreed to the tax, easily surpassing the required two-thirds threshold needed, according to results released by the city clerk’s office.

With that approval, city officials and streetcar advocates are expected to seek a full-funding grant agreement with the Federal Transit Administration later this summer or fall. Local and state agencies are putting up $100 million for the project and advocates are hoping for a $100 million match from the federal government.


Mayor Darrell Steinberg said the vote was “another important step forward in making Sacramento a true destination city.”

“I was thrilled to hear the property owners have helped us take the next step,” Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, said in a written statement. “The streetcar project is critical to Sacramento and West Sacramento’s enhanced connectivity.“

Officials want to break ground on the 4.2-mile system next year. It would connect West Sacramento, downtown and midtown.

“Our streetcar project is on track to bring new mobility options to downtown, midtown and West Sacramento,” Sacramento Councilman Steve Hansen wrote in an email. “I’m thankful to the area’s property owners for their financial commitment to transit. Onward!”

Businesses that voted on the tax included the Sacramento Kings, Macy’s and downtown hotels. The Kings likely will pay the most into the fund, with an estimated annual contribution of about $125,000. The team has voiced its support for the project.

Ryan Lillis: 916-321-1085, @Ryan_Lillis

[OneRinconHill]

Originally Posted by NickB1967

"Business Loop 80" is largely symbolic, defined by and consisting of two parts, going from west to east:

1. U.S. 50 from it's eastbound beginning / westbound terminus where it merges into Interstate 80, to where it meets the massive interchange of Route 99 Southbound and (unsigned) "Route 51" Northbound. Here, Business 80 goes:

2. (Unsigned) "Route 51" northbound from the U.S. 50 & Route 99 interchange to "The Split", where it merges into Interstate 80. This portion is signed as "Business 80", but legally CalTrans classifies this stretch of road as (unsigned) "Route 51".

Up there, Business 80 also merges into the very short (also unsigned) "Route 244" offramp which terminates at Auburn Boulevard. This unsigned Route 244 would be an onramp to either Interstate 80 or Business 80 going the other way.

Route 244 was supposed to go further into Carmichael, Fair Oaks and Orangevale, but this was blocked in a fit of utterly shortsighted Luddite stupidity.

See here for more details:

http://www.cahighways.org/maps-sac-fwy.html

Where you can click to links of what was proposed and what might have been:

http://www.cahighways.org/maps/195x-sac.jpg (What was envisioned)

http://www.cahighways.org/maps/1963sac.jpg (before the "Great Renumbering of 1964", proposed freeways or other highways were shown as boxed "Legislative Route Numbers")

http://www.cahighways.org/maps/1994sac.jpg (what exists and what was still proposed in 1994, but is not going to happen)

The section between I-5 and US 50/CA 99 is also signed as I-305 (to get interstate funding). They might be finally changing all the signs to actually make more sense than a business 80, which was created when 80 was rerouted on the bypass which was originally 880 (the Marconi Curve makes the loop not up to interstate standards).

[NickB1967]

Originally Posted by OneRinconHill

The section between I-5 and US 50/CA 99 is also signed as I-305 (to get interstate funding).

Or "unsigned" as the case may be.

[Bubb90]

Any new progress/news on the streetcar?

[CastleScott]

^ Haven't heard anything for a bit-no news is good news I guess..

[ltsmotorsport]

At least the federal budget that was just signed actually provided a slight boost for transit funding, so there's that.

[ozone]

Sacramento asked Trump for $100 million for streetcar. It's still waiting.

The SacBee article is here.
https://www.sacbee.com/latest-news/a...213456419.html

Basically there's a glimmer of hope that the administration is taking this serious, BUT given their petty political machinations I don't have much hope.

[SacTownAndy]

If you guys haven't seen it yet, the Street Car project has an online open house:

http://www.riverfrontstreetcar.com/

[ozone]

^^^ thanks for the link. So construction is expected to begin next year and take 3 years to complete. That seems a long time. Also does anyone know what type of vehicles they are considering?

[Surefiresacto]

I worry about how they will connect 3rd St to H St at the Amtrak station. They have to cross the H St->I St Bridge onramp and go under the H->SB I-5 onramp, then make a pretty tight turn to line up with the existing Light Rail tracks which will be shared along the next portion of that route.

[ozone]

^^^
I don't see the turn as a problem but yeah getting pass the I Street/I-5 on ramp is going to tricky. Why don't they just go down 2nd Street instead?

I also wonder about status of light-rail H Street realignment. I'm very supportive of moving the light rail off of K Street but I haven't heard any news. Having both the light-rail and the streetcar on K Street would be disastrous imo.

[urban_encounter]

Originally Posted by ozone

^^^ thanks for the link. So construction is expected to begin next year and take 3 years to complete. That seems a long time. Also does anyone know what type of vehicles they are considering?

Modern vehicles.

[CastleScott]

Modern vehicles.

Yup very similar to what's in Seattle, Kansas City, Tempe AZ, Milwaukee, Portland, Cincinnati and Oklahoma City. The cars in Orange County will be the same as well just different paint scheme.

[Deno]

Originally Posted by ozone

^^^ thanks for the link. So construction is expected to begin next year and take 3 years to complete. That seems a long time. Also does anyone know what type of vehicles they are considering?

Nothing is fast in California.