By admin 
When many California state workers were brought back to the office four days a week July 1 by Gov. Gavin Newsom, concerns about increased traffic congestion came to the forefront.
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State workers banded together to fund billboards, including one that reads “Newsom has mandated more traffic.” However, data recently released by the California Department of Transportation, shows the number of vehicles driving during peak commute hours isn’t skyrocketing when comparing this past July — when the mandate took effect — to the same month the year before.
The peak commute hours, according to Caltrans data, is 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. when workers commute toward downtown and 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. when they head home.
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Traffic and speed differences
The average number of vehicles traveling toward downtown on morning commutes increased anywhere from 0.19% southbound on Capital City Freeway near the Elvas Avenue underpass to 9.11% on westbound Interstate 80 near Norwood Avenue.
That average difference for evening commutes away from downtown Sacramento — where many state employees work — ranged from a 3.75% year-to-year decrease on State Route 99 southbound at Fruitridge Road to a 17.31% increase in traffic westbound on Highway 50 near South River Road.
At least one billboard was at the Highway 50-Interstate 80 interchange in West Sacramento a few miles from the largest year-over-year increase.
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Speeds were also consistent on State Route 99 northbound from Elk Grove and Capitol City Freeway south to Highway 50. The morning commute on I-80 declined from Rocklin ahead of the Capitol City Freeway split going toward I-5. The corridor north of downtown declined from a low of 61 mph in July 2025 to 55 mph.
The lowest state-recorded speed increased in the morning hours from 39 mph to 56 mph from Davis to downtown Sacramento, according to Caltrans, an area that had more construction in summer 2025.
Construction may have played a factor in these numbers.
Highway 50 routes generally saw an increase this year, which could in part stem from the Fix50 project. In most places on Highway 50, the number of vehicles also increased at hours when traffic was not headed in the direction of downtown commuters.
The $511 million Fix50 project is expected to wrap-up at the end of the month, according to previous Sacramento Bee reporting, after nearly a year and a half of delays and almost $100 million over its original budget.
Caltrans aimed to add carpool lanes and resurface pavement on the highway between I-5 and Watt Avenue. It is more than a year past the initial deadline and costs exceed the initial estimate by nearly $100 million.
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This story was originally published October 1, 2026 at 3:18 PM.