At its November meeting the SACOG Board of Directors accepted the Final Technical Report for the Environmental Phase I Studies and concluded the charge of the Policy Advisory Committee. The Final Technical Report studied preliminary travel demand, costs, environmental impact screening results and funding options.
During Phase I Environmental Studies, four conceptual alternatives brought forward from the planning process were analyzed for engineering feasibility, potential environmental impacts, implementation strategies and cost. A separate traffic analysis and preliminary environmental screening examined travel time savings, speed, distance and traffic volumes. To identify potential environmental impacts, 16 screening criteria were developed and applied to each alternative.
Public participation was a key part of the Connector study, building on outreach from the previous phase of work. Six public information meetings were held throughout the corridor, with over 10,000 property owners and community leaders contacted. Regular updates were also provided through the project website and meetings of the Policy Advisory and Technical Advisory committees.
The next phase of the project will be conducted by a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) representing the cities of Elk Grove, Folsom and Rancho Cordova, and Sacramento and El Dorado counties. The JPA will oversee future phases of project development, including environmental review, preliminary design and project funding. It also will begin the environmental review process under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
The Elk Grove-Rancho Cordova-El Dorado Connector is a proposed 35-mile multimodal transportation corridor — including a roadway, transit options and pedestrian/bicycle trails — that will serve both local and regional travel, help relieve congestion, and help preserve open space and habitat while linking residential areas to jobs, recreation, and regional destinations located within the corridor. The total project cost varies between alternatives, from $714 million to $1.3 billion.
The Connector will likely be implemented as a series of smaller projects by the member jurisdictions under the overall direction of the JPA. The importance of selecting an alignment and identifying roadway improvement projects in the near term will be critical so that adequate right-of-ways are preserved. For more information or to view the Final Technical Report, including results from the Phase I Environmental Studies, visit www.sacog.org/connector or contact project staff at (916) 321-9000.
Regional Report for December 2006 - January 2007 (text-only version)
Sacramento Area Council of Governments