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The finish line for Caltrans’ $511 million Highway 50 construction project has once again been pushed back, this time to the end of October, as the project continues to contend with quality-control problems and delays.
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Public records obtained by Abridged by PBS KVIE showed how the unapproved concrete affected Caltrans’ timeline, and ultimately budget, for the U.S. Highway 500 Multimodal Corridor Enhancement and Rehabilitation Project, better known as Fix50.
The Fix50 project aims to add carpool lanes and resurface aging pavement on Highway 50 between I-5 and Watt Avenue. The project has soared nearly $100 million over its original estimate and more than a year past its initial deadline.
About 250 pages of Caltrans records obtained by Abridged under the California Public Records Act revealed multiple instances in which unapproved concrete was poured, some of which required crews to tear it up and start over. One of these incidents at the Elmhurst Bridge increased the overall Fix50 project timeline by six months.
In three instances, Abridged reported, quality inspectors tasked with monitoring the sites were not present when the concrete was poured.
The timeline for the project has steadily grown since construction began in 2021. The initial target date was in 2025. The finish line was moved last year to July 2026 and then pushed back earlier this year to the end of summer.
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In a recent news release Caltrans issued about a lane reduction in connection with Fix50 construction, the agency said the project “is expected to be substantially complete this fall.”
Caltrans District 3 spokesperson Sergio Ochoa-Sanchez confirmed Wednesday that the agency estimates that “substantial completion” will occur Oct. 31. It’s unclear what work will remain after that date.
The latest delay came after Caltrans determined that portions of the highway surface required additional smoothing, a Caltrans spokesperson told Abridged.
Construction crews still need to complete electrical, landscaping and drainage work, along with striping on Highway 50, Ochoa-Sanchez said. Construction crews are also working with the city of Sacramento to rehabilitate parking lots and sidewalks under the highway between W and X streets.
“Caltrans has always been transparent communicating that all construction projects are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment and material availability, or other unexpected events,” Ochoa-Sanchez said.
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