Economic, environmental and safety benefits for California’s Capital Region
State-of-the-art transportation corridor connects Interstate 5 to Highways 99 and 50 through Sacramento and El Dorado Counties
NEW interview
with OnSite Observer
In our recent interview with Onsite Observer (featured on YouTube), we discussed the transformative impact of the Capital SouthEast Connector, the largest approved transportation project in the Sacramento region. Spanning 34 miles, this multi-lane expressway will link I-5, Highway 99, and Highway 50, easing congestion and enhancing road safety while boosting economic growth. Our conversation highlighted the project's scope, including the modernization of rural roads into a four-lane expressway and the addition of continuous pedestrian, bicycle, and equestrian paths, ensuring improved mobility for both commuters and local communities.
Project Overview
Connecting the communities of Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova, Folsom and El Dorado Hills, the 34-mile SouthEast Connector Expressway is designed to improve road safety and shorten travel times in a congested part of the Sacramento area’s transportation system that is prone to accidents and flooding. The award-winning project’s first phase includes four lanes from Interstate 5 and Highway 99 in Elk Grove to the Silva Valley interchange at Highway 50 in El Dorado Hills, improved intersections at major access points, and a path for pedestrians, bicyclists, and equestrians along the entire corridor.
Improves
road safety
Shortens
travel times
Relieves
congestion
Reduces
bottlenecks
The Route
The 34-mile SouthEast Connector Expressway connects Interstate 5 to Highways 99 and 50 through Sacramento and El Dorado Counties.
Environmental Benefits
The SouthEast Connector Expressway reduces greenhouse gases, pollutant emissions, vehicle miles traveled, and regional congestion. It also is designed to preserve working farmland and the supply of locally grown food in Sacramento County, and through the South Sacramento Habitat Conservation Plan creates an interconnected preserve system to ensure the long-term viability of area plant and wildlife species plus rural ranching operations.
Reduces emissions and greenhouse gasses
Reduces vehicle miles traveled
Preserves farmland
Creates interconnected preserve system
Economic & Financial Benefits
By safely connecting communities located east of Interstate 5 and Highway 99, and south of Highway 50, the SouthEast Connector Expressway will produce numerous economic and financial benefits, including:
Produce $1.8 billion of economic Output
Generate 11,300 new job-years over 2021-2030 period
Result in $770 million of new Labor Income
Yield $1.1 billion of new Value Added
Generate $80 million in new state and local Taxes on production and imports
To fully understand the total economic impact of the Connector once it is completed, one must also understand the economic value of time and distance savings, linking residential areas with employment centers, attracting new corporations in the Region, infrastructure and community development, and other economic activities. The improvement in ease and speed of transportation of goods will lead to the increased economic vibrancy of the Region, leading to higher growth and prosperity. This is especially promising in the context of post-COVID era trends that brought historically large-scale geographic shifts in the workforce market.
Safety & Regional Security Benefits
The SouthEast Connector Expressway will improve safety by converting two-lane rural roads that were not designed to carry current day traffic volumes into a modern four-lane expressway, which is projected to reduce crash rates by nearly 40 percent. The Connector will also improve emergency response times for South Sacramento County and provide an alternate evacuation route during emergencies.
Reduces
crash rates
Improved
emergency routes
Joint Powers Authority Members
JPA Board Meeting Materials
News
Widespread Support
The SouthEast Connector Expressway is widely supported by businesses, non-governmental organizations, public agencies, and local landowners, along with local, state, and federal elected officials representing communities served by the alignment.
Click below to read letters of support:
Awards
The award-winning SouthEast Connector Expressway was recognized most recently by the American Public Works Association Sacramento Chapter, which designated two projects – Kammerer Road and White Rock Road – as Projects of the Year.
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