The City of Folsom is one of five jurisdictions represented in the Capital SouthEast Connector Joint Powers Authority (JPA) that is tasked with construction of a the 34-mile expressway and parallel bicycle/pedestrian trail south of Highway 50 that will connect Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova, Folsom, and El Dorado Hills.

The Connector will enable people and commerce to bypass downtown Sacramento and Highway 50 congestion, provide better access to job centers, dramatically improve vehicular and pedestrian safety, enable more efficient goods movement, provide an all-weather flood evacuation route, and enable more efficient farm-to-fork agricultural commerce.

The project’s first phase includes construction of four continuous lanes from Interstate 5 in Elk Grove to the new Silva Valley Parkway interchange at Highway 50 in El Dorado Hills, expanded at-grade intersections at all major access points, and a continuous path for pedestrians, bicyclists, and equestrians.

Construction of the Connector expressway is expected to generate 5,400 jobs and $310 million in new labor income, $831 million in new regional economic output and more than $23 million in new indirect business tax revenue. Over 20 years, the Connector is expected to create more than 25,000 total new direct and indirect jobs, and generate $2.5 billion in new economic output and $182 million in new indirect business tax revenue.

• Connector in Folsom: The Connector alignment in Folsom is along White Rock Road, connecting on the west to a two-mile already improved section between Prairie City Road and Grant Line Road and on the east to the Sacramento County line. The Connector JPA estimates that it will cost approximately $40 million to convert the 5.5-mile segment of White Rock Road between Prairie City Road and the county line to a four-lane expressway. Funding for the project will come from the Sacramento County Measure A transportation sales-tax program and a combination of state funds and local development fees. Final design of that segment is currently underway and construction could begin in 2018 if required funding is secured.
• Capital SouthEast Connector website

The City is applying for state Active Transportation Program (ATP) funding for the construction of non-motorized infrastructure to improve the overall connectivity of the Folsom Historic District. This is a Safe Routes to School project that would be focused around the areas of Sutter Middle School and Theodore Judah Elementary School. The project would construct pedestrian improvements and bicycle facilities on Riley Street between Sutter Street and Bidwell Street and on Dean Way between Coloma Street and Stafford Street.

The City is seeking the community's feedback. We invite residents to take a quick online survey no later than June 3rd, 2022. The survey takes approximately 5 minutes to complete and gives you the opportunity to share your thoughts on how comfortable you are walking and biking in the area, drop map markers to specifically identify areas of concern, and provide general comments.

The city will be hosting a project open house to discuss the project with all who are interested. Please join us at anytime during the open house to meet with the project team and ask question, view preliminary project graphics, and give feedback. Children are welcome to attend and light refreshments will be available. 

Project Open House

4 - 7 p.m.
Wednesday, May 18
Folsom Community Center
52 Natoma Street

The Empire Ranch Road interchange is a future freeway interchange that will be located on U.S. Highway 50 on the Sacramento County/El Dorado County line, between the existing East Bidwell Street interchange in Folsom and Latrobe Road interchange in El Dorado Hills.

The interchange will include a four- or six-lane overpass, full ramp connections to westbound and eastbound Highway 50, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and traffic signal controls. The project will connect with the existing Empire Ranch Road/Iron Point Road intersection to the north, and the future extension of Empire Ranch Road to the south.

The project was initially studied in 2006, but was postponed. In July 2017, the city reinitiated the project approval and environmental documentation (PA&ED) phase of the project, which is a required step before beginning design and initiating construction. The Draft Project Approval (PA) was completed in February 2022. Upon Caltrans approval of the PA, the environmental document will be circulated for public comment. The latest design has incorporated infrastructure and development components of the Folsom Ranch project, south of Highway 50.

Once the updated PA&ED documents are approved by Caltrans, the city intends to initiate construction by 2025, dependent on funding. Funding for the project is a combination of developer impact fees, local sales tax and gas tax. Additional funding may be needed, possibly through state and/or federal grant programs.

Current Project Documents

• Project Study Report, July 2006
• Draft Environmental Impact Report
• Final Environmental Impact Report

City of Folsom is the non-federal sponsor for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' project of a new, 1,000-foot bridge over the American River just below the Folsom Dam. The four-lane, approximately two-mile-long project includes bicycle and pedestrian paths, as well. Connector roads join the bridge with East Natoma Street to the southeast and Folsom-Auburn Road to the northwest. The bridge opened for traffic on March 28, 2009.

Rainbow Bridge is nearly 100-year-old bridge that spans the American River at Greenback Lane. The historic bridge provides a major connection for businesses and residents on both sides of the river. An upcoming preventative maintenance project will make needed repairs to the bridge and will provide a smoother and safer drive for motorists.

This project will resurface various residential and arterial roadways throughout the City. The project began on May 12, 2021, with hours of work from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. It is expected to be complete by the end of August 2021. 

Existing pedestrian curb ramps will be upgraded to current Americans with Disabilities Act standards first. These upgrades are a federal requirement before the application of certain types of pavement resurfacing. During this work, there will be minimal disruptions to traffic.

Upon completion of the pedestrian ramps, crews will begin the pavement resurfacing process, which involves the following steps:

• Apply herbicide to weeds in pavement cracks.
• Crack routing and filling.
• Asphalt repairs at select locations.
• Rubberized chip seal application (Only to streets scheduled to receive a Cape Seal).
• Slurry seal application.
• Roadway striping and markings.

A minimum of 14 days before the resurfacing work, each residence will receive a detailed flyer that outlines additional project details. Included will be a color-coded map showing which days each street will be resurfaced. This map is intended to assist in identifying where to park vehicle(s) on the day your street is scheduled to be resurfaced. A minimum of 72 hours before any parking/driving restrictions, barricades will be placed on each street, and “No Parking/Driving” notices will identify the specific dates and times of work. All streets will be back open to vehicles by 6 p.m. each day.

The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) provides the Rubberized Pavement (Pavement) Grant Program to promote markets for recycled-content surfacing products derived from waste tires generated in California and decrease the adverse environmental impacts created by unlawful disposal and stockpiling of waste tires. RAC is a proven road paving material that has been used in California since the 1970s. It is made by blending ground tire rubber with asphalt binder which is then mixed with conventional aggregate materials. This project was partially funded by a Rubberized Pavement Grant awarded to the City. In all, the project successfully diverted 8,967 passenger tires from being sent to landfills.