Auburn Boulevard Phase 2 is the city’s largest public works project. Photo courtesy of the City of Citrus Heights

CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - The long-awaited revitalization of Auburn Boulevard from Rusch Park to the Roseville city line began the second phase of construction improvements on July 22.

Work on Auburn Boulevard Phase 2, the city’s largest public works project, will include the undergrounding of all public utility lines, upgrades to traffic signals and storm drains, and installation of bike lanes and widening of sidewalks along the boulevard.

Trench work started at Whyte Avenue, just south of the Roseville city line, and will proceed in five segments over the next eight months toward Rusch Park in Citrus Heights, said Leslie Blomquist, the city’s chief engineer.

Traffic barriers will be installed to alert motorists along westbound Auburn Boulevard to the lane closure that trenching work is underway. The contractor, George Reed, Inc, is required to keep at least one driveway open for each property along that side of the road.

“We’re encouraging the public to allow more time to travel northbound on Auburn Boulevard during the overall period of construction,” Blomquist said. “The 24-hour lane closures will remain in place for the length of the project.”

The Citrus Heights City Council voted unanimously on May 9 to approve awarding a construction contract to George Reed, Inc. for $28.9 million. The council also unanimously approved separate contracts for construction management and design support services.

The Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets Project focuses on improvements to the Auburn Boulevard corridor, from Sylvan Corners to the northern city limit, and has been in the works since 2005. The first phase of the project from Sylvan Corners to Rusch Park was completed in 2014.

“Temporary signage will be put up that businesses along the west side of Auburn Boulevard are still “open for business,” she said.

In an effort to decrease the cost of the project to the city of Citrus Heights, modifications were made to the original bid package, including removing temporary traffic controls, which will minimize labor costs and result in allowing 24-hour lane closures while the work is active, and also reducing the number of individual storm drain replacements.

Blomquist said once the utility trenching is complete, the contractor will shift work to sidewalk and other general roadway improvements along Auburn Boulevard, allowing for the underground utility work to be finished.

In 2022, the Citrus Heights City Council also approved the establishment of an Auburn Boulevard Underground Utility District. Impacted utility companies are required to remove all overhead wires and utility poles within the district once all the new underground utilities become operational.

Blomquist said the city is working closely on utility coordination with Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), Comcast, Consolidated Communications (CCI), Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), and Citrus Heights Water District (CHWD) in the project which will include a hybrid approach of both night work and day work depending on the activity at hand.

The Auburn Boulevard Phase 2 project aims to increase safety and visibility throughout the corridor with decorative street lighting and to beautify the area with new trees and landscaping, according to city documents.

 Construction of a durable steel gateway arch over Auburn Boulevard, styled after an arch at Rusch Park will be located on Auburn Boulevard, near Whyte Avenue. Photo courtesy of the City of Citrus Heights

The completed Auburn Boulevard Phase 2 corridor will be beautified with new decorative street lighting, landscaping and trees, the replacement of old storm drain infrastructure, and construction of new Sacramento Transit (SacRT) stops for Americans with Disability Act (ADA) compliance. The number of Sacramento transit bus stops along Auburn Boulevard will remain at seven.

Bus passengers can expect to see temporary bus stops put in place during construction, Blomquist said.

New landscaped medians will be built along the route. When the project is expected to be completed in fall 2026, some side streets on Auburn Boulevard will have traffic pattern changes to adapt to. This change might include prohibition of left turns out of side streets in some cases.

A new traffic signal will be installed south of Whyte Avenue, allowing for safer turning maneuvers into and out of shopping centers on the corridor, as well as allowing pedestrians to safely cross from one side of Auburn Boulevard to the other.

Blomquist estimated the city spent approximately $500,000 to acquire right-of-way property and easement rights along the route. A final count of the amount of property acquired wasn’t yet available, she said.

Funding for Phase 2 of the Auburn Boulevard project is 85 percent funded by a combination of non-general funds, including a grant from the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG). The total cost for Phase 2 is $35.5 million, which includes the construction contract amount, as well as costs for contingencies, construction management and design support services. Of that total, $4 million has been budgeted from the city’s General Fund, nearly $26 million is coming from a variety of grants and the rest will be supplied by partnering agencies.

Project partners include Caltrans, Sacramento Rapid Transit (RT) for all transit impacts and the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District as it relates to the relocation of fire hydrants.

Construction of a durable steel gateway arch over Auburn Boulevard, styled after an arch at Rusch Park will be located on Auburn Boulevard, near Whyte Avenue, Blomquist said. The arch with stone pillars on the sides, will feature a prominent “Welcome to Citrus Heights” message across it. The gateway monument arch is included in the roadway design and will be constructed as part of the same construction contract, she said.

A project drawing posted on the city’s website at: www.citrusheights.net/256/Boulevard-Plan describes the project’s overall features.