Sacramento City Council this week approved a traffic signal for a planned bridge over Highway 99 that would connect the Northlake neighborhood to the rest of North Natomas, though construction for the North Sacramento overcrossing is not set to begin for at least a year.
Council members at a Tuesday meeting authorized $640,000 to be spent on the signal, which will be placed at a new intersection where the approved Shore Vista Way bridge will meet East Commerce Drive in Natomas Creek, according to a city document.
The idea for the developer, Integral Communities of Newport Beach, to build the bridge was approved in 2019 as part of the second phase of the 577-acre development, which sits at the northwest corner of the Interstate 5-Highway 99 junction.
The overall project was initially authorized in 2008 but was stalled by a building moratorium in the Natomas Basin due to flooding concerns, as well as the recession and collapse of Sacramento’s new-home market. It was approved again in 2017 and building began in late 2019.
The decision to fund the traffic signal comes as Caltrans and the city are reviewing the final design of the Shore Vista Way (formerly Meister Way) extension and bridge, said city spokesperson Gabby Miller. The developer in 2024 initiated the Caltrans approval process, which includes a review of the environmental clearance, and completed the steps required before the final design stage near the end of 2025.
Approvals from both Caltrans and the city are estimated for the end of the year, with construction tentatively set to begin in spring 2027, Miller said.
The bridge is set to run southeast from the Northlake development, which is situated just south of the Sacramento International Airport, over the freeway into Natomas Creek, according to a city document. Plans for the bridge include two lanes of traffic for motorists and 6-foot sidewalks and 6-foot bike lanes on both sides.
In October 2024, the council amended its development agreement and approved more than $6.1 million toward construction for the bridge in order to assure the “important connection” between Greenbriar and the rest of North Natomas would be built, according to a city document. The document also says the overcrossing will “provide a way for pedestrians and cyclists to cross Highway 99, thereby promoting a walkable and bike friendly community.”
Councilmember Lisa Kaplan, whose district includes North Natomas, said the connection is “fundamental for the residents and the community” because there is a lack of accessible routes in and out of the area.
As of early 2026, the only way to move between the Northlake neighborhood and any spot east of Highway 99 is by going north to Elkhorn Boulevard and then east to the freeway or other residential streets. The new bridge would allow for easier vehicle, bike and pedestrian travel.
Kaplan said she has been pushing to make this project happen faster since she was elected in 2022. She said she doesn’t think the bridge construction has been delayed, but that she believes COVID-19 pandemic “didn’t help the timing of things.”
“Most of the city stuff has already been done” in relation to the bridge, Kaplan said.
Miller said the developer had not been required to immediately start work on the bridge following the 2019 approval, citing “several other improvements” the group had to construct.
When asked about project setbacks, Miller said, “It takes a significant effort to build a new overcrossing of a State highway,” and referred to the Caltrans approval process.
The traffic signal for which funding was authorized Tuesday has always been part of the plan for the bridge, Miller said, even though it was not one of the conditions approved by the City Council in 2019.
Now that the bridge project is in the final design stage, the city is taking steps to make sure the signal can be easily incorporated into the Shore Vista Way bridge and extension construction.
The Northlake development is set to create more than 2,000 homes and construction is ongoing to meet that goal. The neighborhood also includes space for commercial parks and a school site now occupied by Northlake TK-8, which opened in fall 2024.
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Madison Smalstig covers transportation for The Sacramento Bee. Before joining The Bee, she reported on breaking news, focusing on crime and public safety, in the North Bay for three years. Smalstig is a born and raised Hoosier and earned degrees in journalism and Spanish at Indiana University.