Sacramento County Transportation Digest

Caltrans has set a Jan. 25 deadline for tech companies to show how generative artificial intelligence might reduce traffic congestion in the state. This follows an executive order that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in September related to this type of AI.

Heavy snow is projected in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Previously, warmer storms had been bringing precipitation mainly to higher elevations in the Sierras.

San Francisco police officers have been operating for more than a year with guidance from their chief that California’s vehicle code doesn’t provide authority for them to ticket driverless cars for infractions like speeding or running red lights. Officers are still encouraged to report relevant information about incidents.

There are concerns about the transition to zero emissions vehicles on Black Californians and how the state will equip low-income neighborhoods with the infrastructure needed when California bans the sale of all gas-powered vehicles in 2035.

Farmland is being rezoned for industrial use, and massive warehouses are being built on spec near communities like Buttonwillow and Shafter, so goods coming through the Southern California ports can be shipped quickly throughout the western United States.

A group of protesters sat down with interlocked arms on the 110 Freeway near downtown LA on Dec. 13, halting southbound traffic for more than an hour. Multiple people were arrested according to the CHP.

Higher-income workers are more likely to work from home, analysis of recent census data shows. Lower-income workers can face long and solitary commutes to get to work.

The 40-foot holiday-themed bus celebrates SacRT’s 50 years of service and brings holiday spirit throughout the Sacramento region.

Private company Brightline secured a $3 billion grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation toward a 218-mile high-speed rail line from Rancho Cucamonga to Las Vegas. The line would allow people to make the trip to Sin City in a little over two hours.

An Alameda County judge ruled on Nov. 22 that the city of Oakland thwarted a proposed coal export terminal. The judge will rule if the developer who sued is entitled to $159 million in damages or moving forward with the project.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles changed its voter registration process in 2019 to put a party selection dropdown on the same page. Since then, the number of people registering as Republicans or Democrats has jumped close to 20 points.

The Orange County Transportation Authority announced that work has been completed for express lanes along 16 miles of Interstate 405. The lanes, which were part of a $2.16 billion improvement project, span from Costa Mesa to the Los Angeles County line.

A new study by Forbes shows that four cities in the Golden State—Los Angeles, Fresno, San Diego and Sacramento—are among the 21 worst cities in the United States for holiday travel. Forbes looked at a variety of factors including car accidents, hotel prices and air travel.

Caltrans seeks public comment on a proposed $465 million project to construct toll express lanes on Interstate 80 and U.S. Highway 50 in Sacramento and Yolo counties.

Interstate 10 in Los Angeles will reopen Nov. 21, following a fire on Nov. 11. It had previously been feared the freeway would be closed much longer.

China modeled some of its climate programs on policies first adopted by California. Now, California depends on the world’s most populous country for essential materials in its electric vehicle ambitions.

Hydrogen fueling stations will get 15 percent of funds in a state program — even though Californians own only about 12,000 hydrogen cars. The funds come from fees paid by drivers.

Two people wearing masks dart into a busy street in San Francisco. One of them hauls a big orange traffic cone. They sprint toward a driverless car and set the cone on the hood.

With only 12,000 hydrogen cars on the road, and just two models for sale, California lawmakers are debating how much state money should support them.

The Greater Sacramento Economic Council submitted an application for the Economic Development Administration Tech Hub program that aims to establish a Zero Emission Vehicle innovation asset on the campus of Sacramento State.

Hundreds of driverless cars have been roaming San Francisco streets over the past couple of years. Now the California Public Utilities Commission has voted to let self-driving car companies expand their programs and start charging passengers like taxis.

A transportation startup is planning to open a huge charging depot off Interstate 5 near the Sacramento International Airport in 2025 that will be geared toward commercial trucks driving through the I-5 corridor.

About 925 alcohol-involved car wrecks occurred in Sacramento County last year, and about 975 occurred in 2021. About 60 people died in crashes during each of the last two years, up from an average of around 50 the eight years before.

The awards to the Sacramento Regional Transit District include $25 million from the Solutions for Congested Corridor program to support the relocation of the light rail station and tracks at the Sacramento Valley Station to a north/south alignment.

The city of Sacramento has hired Dokken Engineering to analyze the size and location of a planned bridge connecting Truxel Road in South Natomas with the River District. The bridge would likely accommodate vehicles, light rail trains, pedestrians and cyclists.

Caltrans broke ground on the first phase of a project designed to improve traffic on Interstate 5 through Natomas. The $39 million project will include construction of new auxiliary lanes.

Elk Grove will soon get a second seat on Sacramento Regional Transit’s governing board after a new California bill was signed into law. Assembly Bill 354 is expected to give the city a greater say in the transit system, said the Elk Grove lawmaker who carried the bill.

Cyclists in Sacramento may have noticed some changes to bike lanes along 19th and 21st streets. That’s likely thanks to Sacramento’s Central City Mobility Project, which recently began construction on additional protected bike lanes.

Joyce Adams-Watkins started driving buses for the Sacramento Regional Transit District in 1980. More than four decades later at age 74, she still gets behind the wheel and is the longest-tenured employee at the agency.

Sacramento’s epidemic of fatal hit-and-run crashes is not exclusively the result of reckless behavior. In some ways, the tragedies also are made possible by decades of poor planning decisions on some of the county’s most traveled roads.

The overcrossings at Eighth Avenue, 27th Avenue and 35th Street will be shut down from June 19 to July 30. The bridges that connect 44th and 43rd avenues and Turnbridge Drive and Maynard Way will close from July 24 to Aug. 31.

Officials are still working to connect Sacramento and West Sacramento through the Downtown Riverfront Streetcar Project. Construction was approved back in August 2022 through a vote by the Sacramento Regional Transit Board of Directors.