Any large infrastructure project like the Connector presents both challenges and opportunities. One of the keys to a successful project is determining how to address the challenges and make the most of the opportunities.
Sometimes bringing the challenges and opportunities together is just a matter of using some imagination. On the Watt Avenue Improvement Project I led for the Sacramento County Department of Transportation, bike paths presented a challenge. Instead of trying to constrain the paths to fit the design, we thought about what the paths could be. Because of that extra effort and imagination, the paths became one of the most prominent and best features of the redesigned bridge.
The Connector presents a unique set of challenges and an exciting set of opportunities. It’s no easy task to bring together five jurisdictions, each with their own vision of the project, and come to a consensus on what’s best for everyone. We may find that there is no solution that meets the specific needs of each of those entities, which means we need to look at the greater good of the community.
The opportunity that comes with this challenge is that we can show how we as a region can join together and make the project, which is a concept at this point, a reality. I am occasionally teased for saying this, but I firmly believe the Connector is more than a transportation project – it can change the face of Sacramento and change the way people view Sacramento. We can make the Connector a signature project for our region. It won’t be as iconic as the Gateway Arch in St. Louis or the Golden Gate Bridge, but we may be able to say we did something that hadn’t been done before: we built a roadway project that is broadly recognized as a milestone, a real asset to mobility of the area, and a demonstration of our regional community’s ability to come together and serve a common purpose.
More to come in future entries.
Hello Tom,
I’ve been following the development of the Capital Southeast Connector since it was made public in a November, 2001 Sacramento Bee article. As a self-decribed road enthusiast/historian, I was pretty excited. At last, an inter-regional connector that could partially cover the losses of the previously abandonded rights of way and studies for SR 65, SR 143 and SR 148.
I sure hope the connector is as efficient and beneficial as you envision. While I support the idea of the connector being a regional jewel, I hope the planners do not lose sight of the fact regional mobility must be secured. The plans I have seen involve a large number of surface-grade crossings along the 33-35 mile path(s) of the connector. I would hope once the final pathway is determined, enough ROW is preserved to provide for future grade-separated interchanges at key points along the connector. I know there are a few pre-determined points where grade-separations are planned, regardless of the final alternative chosen. I would hope there is enough forward thinking to ensure the route acts as a high-speed inter-regional corridor, rather than another “arterial in the grid.”
Last Saturday, I drove on the section of Kammerer Road just west of SR 99 for the first time. It is eight lanes wide and had ornate, black painted lightposts in its median. There are also numerous curb cuts on the right side of the road allowing for future ingress and egress along the road’s path. I would hope that is not the design for the entire path of the connector (I doubt it). I would hope most of the connector has limited access.
Additionally, I hope the Capital Southeast Connector provides a connection to an eventually-upgraded Hazel Avenue (via a traffic interchange at White Rock Road), so inter-regional travelers will have the option of heading east to US 50/Placerville or north to Roseville/Reno towards I-80. I’m not talking about reviving the old SR 65 freeway, but an efficient connector with limited access and tight diamond/SPUIs at key points above the American River. In the rare event the Hazel Connector becomes a reality and could tie into SR 65 and the future Placer Parkway, Sacramento could have a 3/4 beltway. Wouldn’t that be a hoot?