Carla B. Hass

(CAMINO, CALIFORNIA) Aug 10, 2022 — Caltrans District 3 and the El Dorado County Department of Transportation are notifying the traveling public that the section of Carson Road within the ongoing U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) Camino Safety Project will reopen temporarily this week.

Carson Road between Robindale Drive and Carson Court, which was originally closed July 18, is scheduled to reopen at the end of the work shift Wednesday, August 10 on base rock material. The contractor, Security Paving Inc., is now scheduled to begin paving Monday, August 15 with completion expected Tuesday, August 16. During paving work, Carson Road will only be open to buses and emergency vehicles.

The full closure of Carson Road is minimizing long-term staging disruptions and is expediting the work to reconstruct Carson Road and Carson Court, which will connect to the new Pondorado Undercrossing being built. Reconstruction has been delayed by utility conflicts and material delays.

Eastbound US 50 motorists seeking access to Carson Road during the closure will be detoured to 8 Mile Road/Cedar Grove (Exit 54). Westbound US 50 motorists can exit at “upper” Carson Road or “lower” Carson Road (see detour map).

This $55.4 million safety project consists of constructing a continuous 56-inch-high concrete median barrier on a three-mile stretch of US 50 from Still Meadows Road to Carson Road that will restrict left turns at all at-grade intersections, building an undercrossing that will provide a safe way for traffic to cross US 50, improving drainage, replacing two El Dorado Irrigation water lines, building a wildlife undercrossing, repaving the highway, and improvements to county roads that includes a roundabout to connect to the new undercrossing.

The US 50 intersection at Camino Heights Drive is scheduled to remain open to left turns until the undercrossing is open to traffic, which is expected late this month or early September. There will be two access points for emergency responders needing to cross the highway after the project is completed.

The construction schedule is subject to change based on weather, the availability of crews and equipment or other unexpected events.

Caltrans has collaborated with the El Dorado County Department of Transportation, El Dorado Irrigation District and the El Dorado County Transportation Commission on the project, with the county providing $7.3 million in funding for local road improvements.