REGION. HOW THIS ROBOT DOG IS DETECTING PROBLEMS BEFORE THEY HAPPEN. WE’RE STARTING WITH VIDEO FROM LIVECOPTER3 SHOWING PART OF THE FOX 50 PROJECT IN SACRAMENTO. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, IT COULD FINALLY WRAP UP SOON. A 14 MILE STRETCH OF HIGHWAY 50. IT’S BEEN A CONE ZONE FOR SIX YEARS. THAT PROJECT HAS COST HALF $1 BILLION. THANKS FOR JOINING US AT SIX. I’M CURTIS AND I’M ANDREA FLOREZ. IT’S A SPOT THAT HAS SEEN LANE SPLITS AND SLOWDOWNS FOR YEARS. A LOT OF PEOPLE MAYBE THOUGHT THIS DAY WOULD NEVER COME, BUT THE AGONY FOR COMMUTERS IS JUST ABOUT OVER. KCRA 3’S MARICELA DE LA CRUZ HEARD FROM CALTRANS AND COMMUTERS TODAY. WHEN I FIRST MOVED, I WAS LIKE, WHAT THE HECK AM I GETTING? FOR MANY SACRAMENTO DRIVERS? THAT HAS BEEN THE REACTION TO THE 650 PROJECT. AND AFTER YEARS OF CONSTRUCTION, IT’S NOW ENTERING ITS FINAL STRETCH. VERY, VERY KNOWN THAT IT’S LIKE, WHEN ARE THEY GOING TO FINISH? WHEN ARE THEY GOING TO BE DONE? PLANNING FOR THIS PROJECT BEGAN IN SEPTEMBER 2016, WITH CONSTRUCTION TRANSFORMING A STRETCH OF HIGHWAY FROM I-5 INTERCHANGE TO WATT AVENUE. THIS PLACES UNDER CONSTRUCTION FOREVER, AND TRAFFIC EVERY SINGLE DAY, EVERY HOUR. SO IT’S KIND OF ANNOYING. YOU HAVE TO FIND DIFFERENT ROUTES EVERY TIME TO GET FROM PLACE TO PLACE. B I MEAN. FOR SOME DRIVERS, IT BECAME EASIER TO STAY AWAY ALTOGETHER. I STARTED AVOIDING IT A WHILE AGO BECAUSE IT SEEMED LIKE THE LANES WOULD END AND THERE WOULD BE INADEQUATE SIGNAGE, AND YOU NEVER KNEW WHEN A LANE WAS GOING TO END. AND THE PROJECT ADDS HOV LANES, REHABILITATES THE PAVEMENT, UPGRADES TRAFFIC AND DRAINAGE SYSTEMS, BUILD BRIDGES THAT CONNECT BOTH SIDES OF THE HIGHWAY, AND IMPROVES ACCESS FOR BICYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS. SIDEWALKS THAT WERE IN VERY BAD SHAPE HAVE BEEN OR ARE BEING REHABILITATED AS WE SPEAK. THEY’RE GOING TO BE BRAND NEW, CALTRANS SAYS THE WORK WAS NECESSARY BECAUSE THIS STRETCH OF HIGHWAY HADN’T RECEIVED A MAJOR REHABILITATION SINCE IT WAS BUILT IN THE 1960S. ALL THESE IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE BEING APPLIED TO THIS AREA OF THE OF HIGHWAY 50 WILL LAST FOR AT LEAST ANOTHER 7100 YEARS. FOR EVERYDAY COMMUTERS LIKE LUIS VARELA, THE CHANGE IS NOTICEABLE. THE LANES ARE A LITTLE BIT LONGER, I MEAN WIDER, WHICH IS REALLY NICE. VISIBLY IT’S LOOKING GOOD. YOU KNOW, IT’S NOT TOO BUMPY. IT USED TO BE BUMPY, BUT NOW IT’S NOT THAT BUMPY. SO IT’S BEEN GREAT. CALTRANS EXPECTS THE PROJECT TO BE WRAPPED UP BY THE END OF SEPTEMBER WITH THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS FOCUSED PRIMARILY ON FINAL INSPECTIONS. THE LANES WILL ALL CONTINUE THROUGH AND NOT END ABRUPTLY, AND THE SIGNAGE WILL BE GOOD. I GUESS I’LL START USING IT MORE AGAIN. MARICELA DE LA CRUZ KCRA THREE NEWS. WHILE THE PROJECT HAS TAKEN LONGER THAN EXPECTED, CALTRANS SAYS THEY’RE NOT DELAYED BECAUSE THE CONTRACT REQUIRED THE PROJECT TO BE COMPLETED WITHIN 1500 WORKDAYS, RATHER THAN A SPEC
Fix 50 project in Sacramento set to finish after six years of construction
Updated: 6:34 PM PDT Jun 26, 2026
Sacramento’s Fix 50 project, a six-year construction effort to rehabilitate a 14-mile stretch of Highway 50, is entering its final phase and is expected to be completed by the end of September, according to Caltrans. “When I first moved here I was like, ‘what the heck am I getting into,’” said Sacramento resident Moises Grajeda, expressing frustration over the prolonged construction. The project, which began planning in September 2016, spans from the I-5 interchange to Watt Avenue and includes the addition of HOV lanes, pavement rehabilitation, upgrades to traffic and drainage systems, bridge construction, and improved access for bicyclists and pedestrians. “Some of these sidewalks that were in very bad shape have been or are being rehabilitated as we speak.,” said Sergio Ochoa Sanchez, a Caltrans District 3 representative.”They’re going to be brand new, they’re going to have crossing signals, their bike sign perfectly delineated or visible.”Caltrans explained that the work was necessary because this stretch of Highway 50 had not undergone major rehabilitation since it was built in the 1960s. “We are hoping that these improvements that are being applied to this area of the Highway 50 will last for another 70, 100 years,” Sanchez said. For many Sacramento residents, the construction has been a source of frustration. “This place is under construction forever. There’s traffic every single day, every hour, so it’s kind of annoying. We have to find other routes to get from place A to place B,” Grajeda said. Others, like Kathleen Reynolds, chose to avoid the area altogether. “I started avoiding it a while ago because it seemed like lanes would end, there would be inadequate signage, and you never knew when a lane was going to end and begin,” Reynolds said. Now, some commuters are noticing improvements. “The lanes are a little bit wider, which is really nice,” said Sacramento resident Luisa Varela. “Visibly, it’s looking good. It’s not too bumpy. It used to be bumpy, but now it’s not bumpy, so it’s been great.”Reynolds expressed optimism about the project’s completion. “Great, that’ll be nice. Hopefully the lanes will all continue through and not end abruptly and the signage will be good,” she said. Caltrans clarified that while the project has taken longer than expected, it is not delayed. The contract required completion within 1,500 workdays rather than by a specific calendar date, and the agency remains on track to meet that deadline. With final inspections underway, Reynolds said she might reconsider her route. “I guess I’ll start using it more again,” she said.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Sacramento’s Fix 50 project, a six-year construction effort to rehabilitate a 14-mile stretch of Highway 50, is entering its final phase and is expected to be completed by the end of September, according to Caltrans.
“When I first moved here I was like, ‘what the heck am I getting into,’” said Sacramento resident Moises Grajeda, expressing frustration over the prolonged construction.
The project, which began planning in September 2016, spans from the I-5 interchange to Watt Avenue and includes the addition of HOV lanes, pavement rehabilitation, upgrades to traffic and drainage systems, bridge construction, and improved access for bicyclists and pedestrians.
“Some of these sidewalks that were in very bad shape have been or are being rehabilitated as we speak.,” said Sergio Ochoa Sanchez, a Caltrans District 3 representative.”They’re going to be brand new, they’re going to have crossing signals, their bike sign perfectly delineated or visible.”
Caltrans explained that the work was necessary because this stretch of Highway 50 had not undergone major rehabilitation since it was built in the 1960s.
“We are hoping that these improvements that are being applied to this area of the Highway 50 will last for another 70, 100 years,” Sanchez said.
For many Sacramento residents, the construction has been a source of frustration.
“This place is under construction forever. There’s traffic every single day, every hour, so it’s kind of annoying. We have to find other routes to get from place A to place B,” Grajeda said.
Others, like Kathleen Reynolds, chose to avoid the area altogether.
“I started avoiding it a while ago because it seemed like lanes would end, there would be inadequate signage, and you never knew when a lane was going to end and begin,” Reynolds said.
Now, some commuters are noticing improvements.
“The lanes are a little bit wider, which is really nice,” said Sacramento resident Luisa Varela. “Visibly, it’s looking good. It’s not too bumpy. It used to be bumpy, but now it’s not bumpy, so it’s been great.”
Reynolds expressed optimism about the project’s completion.
“Great, that’ll be nice. Hopefully the lanes will all continue through and not end abruptly and the signage will be good,” she said.
Caltrans clarified that while the project has taken longer than expected, it is not delayed. The contract required completion within 1,500 workdays rather than by a specific calendar date, and the agency remains on track to meet that deadline.
With final inspections underway, Reynolds said she might reconsider her route.
“I guess I’ll start using it more again,” she said.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel