Vehicles travel along Interstate 80 near the Highway 20 junction at Yuba Gap. Caltrans is reducing traffic to one lane in each direction at the site as part of a $112 million project to replace two aging overcrossings and improve safety along the busy corridor linking Sacramento and Lake Tahoe.
Caltrans District 3
Drivers heading through the Sierra Nevada on Interstate 80 are expected to face significant travel delays as a major overcrossing replacement project at Yuba Gap squeezes traffic to two lanes.
Caltrans said crews will shut down one lane in both directions of I-80 near the Highway 20 junction south of Lake Spaulding, creating a bottleneck along one of the state’s busiest mountain passes linking Sacramento to Lake Tahoe.
The restrictions were scheduled from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily beginning Monday through April 15. After a brief return to normal traffic, lane reductions were expected to resume April 20 through April 24.
Motorists traveling the I-80 corridor could encounter delays of up to one hour, particularly during peak travel times, according to Caltrans District 3.
Crews are scheduled to shut down one lane of both east and westbound traffic on Interstate 80 near the junction with Highway 20, just south of Lake Spaulding, Caltrans District 3 said in a news release. The lane closures will last between 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. through April 15. Caltrans District 3
The work is part of a $112 million project to replace two aging freeway overcrossings that carry I-80 over Highway 20 and Union Pacific railroad tracks and improve their load capacity for trucks hauling freight on the freeway. Caltrans said the twin structures have a poor structural health rating and cannot accommodate some freight loads.
Construction also includes installing a median barrier, improving drainage and adding weather monitoring systems intended to improve safety in the high-elevation corridor. Crews will also build retaining walls and replace deteriorating culverts, some of which are severely rusted, according to Caltrans.
As work is carried out, Caltrans said traffic will eventually shift onto the eastbound side of the overcrossings, allowing crews to demolish and rebuild the westbound span.
Although Caltrans refers to the work hugging the Nevada-Placer county line as the Yuba Pass Separation Overhead Bridge Project, the site is at Yuba Gap — Yuba Pass is 20 miles north in Sierra County carrying Highway 49 over the summit.
Officials said the schedule could change due to weather or material availability. The project is expected to be completed by the winter of 2027.
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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.Â