SACRAMENTO – The Sacramento Metro Chamber celebrated last week the announcement that the state Transportation Commission approved funds for five vital transportation projects in the Highway 50 and Interstate 80 corridors.

“It’s been a long, hard road getting here,” said Matt Mahood, Metro Chamber president & CEO. “The Sacramento region did extremely well in competing with other transportation projects around the state. We, in particular, thank CalTrans Director Will Kempton for his role, CalTrans and the Sacramento Area Council of Governments.

“Getting the funding for widening White Rock Road from Sunrise Boulevard to Prairie City Road was a real coup,” Mahood said. “It was the only non-highway project approved in this first round by the California Transportation Commission from Proposition 1B funds.”

The CTC approved $22 million for the White Rock Road project.

“This is great achievement for the Sacramento region,” Mahood added. “The Sacramento region’s strategy of regional cooperation was successful. While other regions were fighting over which projects deserved funding in their region, the Sacramento region presented a unified, regional list of priories to the CTC.“

Key to the success for the White Rock Road project was a unique public-private partnership—the Highway 50 Mobility Partnership—formed to ensure a coordinated effort for its approval. The partnership includes the cities of Rancho Cordova and Folsom, the counties of El Dorado and Sacramento, Sacramento Regional Transit and SACOG. The White Rock Road project was identified by the Highway 50 Mobility Partnership as a key project since it will help relieve congestion on Highway 50.

Mahood gave testimony before the CTC Feb. 20, advocating for a list of regional transportation projects developed by the Metro Chamber’s Transportation/Air Quality Committee. The list represented priority projects among CalTrans and the regional transportation planning agencies.

“We were disappointed that the Interstate 80 carpool lane project from Longview to Sacramento River was not funded,” Mahood said. “The Metro Chamber will still keep that project and all of our other priority projects on our list when we go to Washington, D.C. in April on our annual Capitol-to-Capitol Trip. The list of priority projects will be part of our lobbying effort to get federal funds for needed transportation improvements.”

The Metro Chamber Board listed as priority projects for the Proposition 1B Corridor Mobility Improvement Program:

• Highway 50 HOV Lane—Phase 1, Sunrise Boulevard to Watt Avenue—CTC approved $80 million.

• Highway 50 HOV Lane—El Dorado County line to Bass Lake Road—CTC approved $20 million.

• Highway 50 Auxiliary Lanes—Sunrise Boulevard to Folsom Boulevard

• Interstate 80 HOV Lane, Longview Drive to Sacramento River

• Interstate 80 HOV Lane, Auxiliary Lanes—Roseville Bottleneck (phase 2, 3A)—CTC approved $46 million.

• Interstate 5-Highway 113 Direct Connector—Northbound I-5 to Southbound Highway 113

• Widen White Rock Road—Four Lanes, Sunrise Boulevard to Prairie City Road—CTC approved $22 million

• Widen Hazel Avenue—Six Lanes

• Lincoln Bypass—CTC approved $73.7 million.

For more information on the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce, visit them online at www.metrochamber.org.