Caltrans cites the complexity of the work and delays due to weather, permitting, the rise in material costs and other unexpected factors.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Caltrans’ Fix 50 project started, by contract, in July of 2020, set to affect Highway 50 roughly from I-5 on the west to slightly past the Watt Avenue exit on the east.

The original completion target, according to Caltrans, was late 2024. Now, it’s set to end this summer, and the delays have frustrated drivers.

“Due to the complexity of the work, weather delays, delays in acquiring permits and agreements to proceed with segments of the work, and other impacts, the schedule has been pushed out and the budget has increased,” said Caltrans spokesperson Sergio Ochoa Sánchez.

Working in the wrong weather conditions can result in problems, he said.

“If we do that when it’s raining, when the temperatures are very low and the concrete doesn’t cure properly, then we’re going to have issues which we want to avoid, obviously,” Ochoa Sánchez said.

He said the project was originally advertised for construction at $471.1 million. Now, the approved project budget has increased to $511.1 million.

“This is due to the delay costs, differing field conditions, rise in material costs and other unexpected factors in order to complete the full scope of work,” he said.

Jon Coupal is president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

“As someone who drives over that section of 50 quite a bit, I think we would all like the traffic issues to be resolved. The lane splits can be confusing, but in reality, I think the fact that there are delays with the Caltrans project is nothing new,” he said.

ABC10 asked for his take on Fix 50 currently running $40 million and nearly two years over original estimates.

“Obviously, you want things to come in on time and under budget, but with construction contracts as complex as this one, obviously they have to be doing this road repair while the highway is still operating. That can be very expensive,” Coupal said. “And I do know that construction materials– the cost has gone up. But hopefully there’s someone riding shotgun over the process of this construction and the amount of money going out.”

He contrasted Fix 50’s costs and deadlines with High-Speed Rail, which he considers a waste of money.

“At least it’s not High-Speed Rail, because at the end of the day, we’re at least getting a better highway – at least, we hope,” he said.

An investigation by PBS KVIE’s Abridged reveals a mistake by a subcontractor also contributed to delays.

It “revealed that a concrete mixture used for new HOV lanes and concrete replacement on Highway 50 did not meet Caltrans strength standards, leading to the reconstruction of a section of the highway in East Sacramento and a delay in the construction’s completion,” according to Abridged.

Caltrans confirms to ABC10 that it hired FlatironDragados as its lead contractor for the Fix 50 project, which then hired Elite Ready Mix as the subcontractor to provide concrete.”

According to court documents and Abridged, the concrete that Elite Ready Mix delivered, from April to August of 2023, was not the mix agreed upon in the contract.

Caltrans discovered this when stress-testing the concrete – and finding it didn’t pass the test.

According to Abridged, “Elite acknowledged in a letter that supply chain pressures pushed them to substitute materials in the concrete mix.”

Also according to Abridged, “the cost of replacing the rejected concrete…was covered by the lead contractor…”

Court documents show that was at least $21 million, over which Flatiron sued Elite Ready mix. The two companies have since agreed to settle, according to court documents.

ABC10 reached out to the Fix 50 lead contractor and subcontractor – and their attorneys. They did not respond before deadline.

Caltrans declined to comment on questions related to the Elite Ready Mix issue, citing pending litigation.

“Bad actions by a subcontractor or somebody else, those people need to be held accountable,” Coupal said. “But as long as they make Caltrans whole by paying for any mistakes, the fact that there’s maybe some cost overruns – as long as they’re within a certain margin – I don’t think that’s a very big deal.”

Caltrans says all the problematic concrete has been removed.

“That is done. We don’t have any more issues like that,” Ochoa Sánchez said.

The end of the project is in sight, he said, with fewer big closures left—and smaller items like landscaping, painting and drainage work, “some work that needs to be done on the on-ramps and the off-ramps, but this work will not be disruptive to the people driving on the main line.”

WATCH MORE ON ABC10 | Caltrans is facing a lawsuit over its handling of the Fix 50 project

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