By admin 
After another major Interstate 80 shutdown this week, Placer County Supervisor Cindy Gustafson is bringing together state, federal and local officials to find ways to reduce serious crashes along the mountain freeway corridor.
Read more Elk Grove wants to redefine its Historic Main Street. Here’s what’s on the table
Gustafson, whose district includes foothill communities along the Interstate 80 corridor and the North Shore of the Lake Tahoe Basin, announced the Interstate 80 Corridor Safety Initiative, a new coalition of local, state and federal leaders aimed at improving safety along one of the region’s busiest freeways.
The announcement came after a major chain-reaction crash near Blue Canyon on Tuesday involving two big rigs and 10 other vehicles that closed westbound Interstate 80 for about 16 hours. Gustafson said one person was flown to a hospital with serious injuries, while nine others were taken to area hospitals by ambulance.
Gustafson is scheduled to meet with state lawmakers, the California Highway Patrol, Caltrans, CAL FIRE, the U.S. Forest Service, the California Trucking Association and other transportation and public safety agencies. The group will discuss both immediate and long-term plans to improve safety on the freeway.
» Roseville news in your inbox: Get our free Roseville email newsletter here
Gustafson said Interstate 80 incidents are becoming too common, and their impacts extend well beyond the crashes themselves.
“Our emergency personnel continue to respond with exceptional professionalism, but they should not have to face these large-scale incidents as frequently as they do,” she said. “The traveling public, our mountain communities and our first responders all deserve better.”
Read more Sacramento’s hot mic drama fuels outrage, but misses the point | Opinion
As part of the initiative, Gustafson is also proposing a public awareness campaign to encourage safer driving among truck drivers and the public. The campaign would help transportation agencies, public safety organizations and elected leaders work together to prevent crashes.
During the meeting, officials will review recent incidents on Interstate 80, including truck crashes, truck fires, livestock accidents and other events that have repeatedly closed the freeway.
In the past month alone, beyond Monday’s chain-reaction crash, another collision involving two big rigs closed eastbound lanes near Truckee for hours, and an overturned livestock truck near Colfax left pigs loose on the freeway while crews worked to clear the wreckage. Gustafson said such incidents have delayed travelers, stretched emergency resources and put lives at risk.
Interstate 80 serves as the primary east-west route through the Sierra, connecting the Sacramento region with Lake Tahoe, Reno and points beyond. The freeway carries about 30,000 to nearly 40,000 vehicles a day through the Sierra, according to 2024 Caltrans traffic data, and moves $4.7 million in goods through the corridor every hour, according to the Placer County Transportation Planning Agency.
“When these incidents occur, they affect many thousands of people, disrupt commerce and tourism, delay emergency response, and most importantly put lives at risk,” she said. “We need every level of government and every partner agency working together to identify meaningful solutions, pursue legislative and operational improvements, and make this corridor safer for everyone.”
Read more Elk Grove wants to redefine its Historic Main Street. Here’s what’s on the table