Common Questions
What are the benefits of the Connector?
The Connector will provide broad quality of life benefits by improving local and regional travel, better linking residential areas and employment centers from Elk Grove to El Dorado Hills, and relieving congestion on area freeways and the congested two-lane roadways that currently serve the corridor. The Connector will also provide substantial benefits to the local economy and the environment (see below).
How does the Connector help the economy?
The Connector will boost the regional economy through new jobs, easier goods movement, and better commercial access. Similar projects in Southern California have added thousands of jobs and millions of dollars to the local economy. Improved access will also enhance the attractiveness of existing and planned job centers and commercial areas.
How does the Connector protect the environment?
By reducing congestion on area freeways and roadways, the Connector will reduce overall vehicle emissions and fuel consumption, improving regional air quality. The Connector’s design also strives to balance regional transportation needs with environmental stewardship and preservation of open space, existing habitat and agricultural uses. The project already includes a minimum of $15 million to serve as seed money for a larger program to preserve open space. To protect sensitive native areas within the South Sacramento Habitat Conservation Plan area, the JPA is working closely with its plan partners in support of SACOG’s Blueprint principles regarding habitat conservation, mitigation and other environmental concerns. Funding for construction is contingent on adoption of a comprehensive habitat conservation approach.
How will the Connector support modes of transportation other than single-occupancy cars?
In addition to serving automobiles, the Connector is designed to provide new options for ride-sharing, goods movement, transit, bicycle, pedestrian and equestrian mobility throughout the corridor.
How will the Connector make us safer?
The Connector will improve safety on existing roadways negatively impacted by increasing traffic. It will take a significant number of heavy trucks off the local road system, and reducing cut-through traffic on local streets will also make area neighborhoods safer. During catastrophic floods or other public safety emergencies, the Connector will provide improved emergency access and egress.
What is the history of the Connector?
Planning for a regional transportation facility like the Connector has been in the works for nearly three decades. Efforts began with a Sacramento County east area transportation study in 1984 that identified the need for a beltway in the east county. Over the next two decades, numerous planning studies by Caltrans and the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) reinforced the need for a transportation alternative to better meet travel demand in the growing southeast area. Eventually, SACOG gave the Connector project—as it is known today—its formal start in 2002, during preparation of the Metropolitan Transportation Plan 2035 (learn more about that process here). Then, in 2004, the Connector was included as a highlighted major project in the Measure A ½-cent transportation tax renewal, which was overwhelmingly approved by Sacramento County voters. This set the stage for the Connector’s initial funding and a transition of project leadership from SACOG to the current Joint Powers Authority (JPA) in 2006. For the latest updates on project status, visit the Project Status page.
How does the JPA manage the Connector project?
The JPA is a collaboration of the cities of Elk Grove, Folsom and Rancho Cordova, as well as El Dorado and Sacramento Counties. Since its formation, the JPA has focused on moving ahead decisively with planning, environmental review, engineering design, development, and eventual construction of the Connector. The JPA is managed by a Board of Directors comprised of one member from each jurisdiction. These members are appointed from their respective City Councils or Boards of Supervisors. Meanwhile, the JPA’s day-to-day operations and the project development process are managed by a dedicated staff led by Executive Director Tom Zlotkowski. Each member agency has also committed members of its staff to serve on an Agency Staff Advisory Committee, which works with JPA staff to coordinate operations and address technical issues. The Connector requires an unprecedented level of regional cooperation, a sign that Sacramento is beginning to realize its full potential.
How much will the Connector cost to build?
Original construction estimates were as high as $726 million but are now between $444 million and $509 million. This sizeable reduction is achieved in several ways: by having a single agreement to both design and build the Connector; by reducing the number of interchanges on the route from 22 to 14; and by updating the original estimate using 2010 dollars but adjusting to reflect 2011 prices, which recognizes the current economic climate.
How is the Connector currently funded, and how will construction be paid for?
The JPA’s activities to date have been funded by Regional Surface Transportation Program (RSTP) funds, JPA member contributions, and Measure A funds from the half-cent transportation sales tax approved by Sacramento County voters in 2004. As a local-serving facility, the Connector’s construction will be funded by local dollars. Currently, a financial study is being done to evaluate options to fund build-out, including the possibility of using tolls on the expressway sections along undeveloped lands.
Will the project encourage suburban sprawl and development along the undeveloped part of the corridor?
The Connector’s access controls and capacity characteristics are designed not only for reasons of functionality but also to discourage growth in those areas not already designated for development in local jurisdictions’ general plans. Since the Connector is designed to travel along existing roads (like Grant Line Road), it can actually deter the build-out of potential uses that might have occurred if the roads were built as typical local arterials. Limited side streets and reduced driveways will assist in that regard.
What is the expected size of the Connector when it’s completed?
At full build-out, the Connector is expected to feature four to six lanes (two to three in each direction) to smoothly carry the projected volume of drivers who will use the new travel corridor.
What projects are local jurisdictions doing on their own that will help the Connector build out?
There are several local projects that will help “jump start” the Connector by improving existing facilities along its intended route. Two such projects currently in the works are Sacramento County’s straightening of the White Rock Road curve west of Prairie City Road and the City of Elk Grove’s grade separation of the railroad just east of SR99.
Will the Connector be included in SACOG’s 2035 Metropolitan Transportation Plan?
Yes, the project is represented by a sizeable number of smaller-scope projects along its intended route. Building these projects in larger pieces will reduce costs, cause less disruption to travelers and open the facilities much faster—10 or more years earlier in some cases.
