City officials gathered with local and regional leaders and partners alongside Auburn Boulevard near the new Gateway Arch last Thursday morning to cut a red ribbon, celebrating the official completion of the second phase of construction in the Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets Project.

CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - “Auburn Boulevard has a proud new chapter,” said Citrus Heights Mayor MariJane Lopez-Taff.

On the morning of Aug. 27, a ceremonial ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the official end of construction on the $36 million Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets Phase II corridor project.

The mayor thanked city staff and all local and regional partners in attendance who helped bring the project to fruition.

In the background, local motorists passed under the new gateway arch in both directions of Auburn Boulevard as the morning ceremony unfolded under bright morning skies.

The project team included George Reed, Inc. (GRI) as the construction contractor and Psomas of Roseville for construction management and inspection, with key partners including Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG), SMUD, Comcast, Consolidated Communications, PG&E and Citrus Heights Water District.

Citrus Heights City Manager Ash Feeney also thanked all city staff; local and regional partners; construction and engineering teams; and more, calling the completion “a historic occasion.”

The $36 million Auburn Boulevard Phase 2 project, reported by the city in its Five-Year Capital Improvement Program is the largest infrastructure project the city of Citrus Heights had ever undertaken, transformed the full length of historic 1.75-mile corridor from a four-lane, arterial roadway into a more pedestrian and bike-oriented corridor with new sidewalks, crosswalks and bike lanes.

George Reed Construction, Inc (GRI) subcontracted the building of the archway to R.A. Nemetz Construction Co., Inc., which was included in the city’s original contract scope and price.

A commemorative plaque was placed on one of the two pilasters supporting the gateway arch across Auburn Boulevard which reads “Welcome to Citrus Heights,” and honors the route of the historic Lincoln Highway into the rural community of Sylvan which the city once was.

Phase I of the Auburn Boulevard project accomplished a complete update of the corridor from Sylvan Corners to Rusch Park in 2014. Phase 2 of the Project extended the city’s vision of a safer, updated roadway north to the north city limits at Orlando Avenue in Roseville.

Work on the project began in 2014 with the successful securing of grant funds to initiate initial design, environmental and right of way efforts. Construction started in July 2024, reducing traffic to one lane in each direction, even during construction hours.

City officials also thanked the businesses along Auburn Boulevard for their patience and resilience during the period of recent construction.

Detour and “Open for Business” signs were placed along neighborhood streets near Auburn Boulevard to help guide motorists safely through problematic turning areas during construction and to help affected local businesses along the busy route.

Improvements in the second phase of the Auburn Boulevard Complete Street project include undergrounding of overhead utilities, installation of bicycle lanes and wide sidewalks, upgrading traffic signals to meet current standards, increasing safety and visibility through decorative street lighting, beautifying the corridor with new landscaping and trees, replacing old storm drain infrastructure and enhancing transit stops for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance, according to the city.

Regina Cave, Citrus Heights general services director, said the complex project involved the complete undergrounding of all utilities along this portion of Auburn Boulevard. It also entailed building a median with new turnout lanes which was funded through 15 different sources, consisting mostly of grants from regional partners, and some reserve city funding was utilized to help match some of the grant funding.

In all, almost $26 million was secured in grant funding for the project, including $20 million in grants from the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG), and additional grants from the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) Self-Generation Incentive Program and the Active Transportation Program, a Placer-Sacramento Gateway Corridor grant, and a Smart Green Incentive Program grant were obtained, according to the city.

The city also received over $20 million in highly competitive grant funds to support the construction phase of the project.

Cave presented Citrus Heights City Engineer Leslie Blomquist, PE, TE with a special proclamation of recognition signed by the mayor and city council for her work in the “successful delivery of the Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets Phase II project.”

Blomquist was cited for her “outstanding dedication, innovative problem solving and steadfast leadership.”

Blomquist was appointed City Engineer in July 2020 and oversees all engineering aspects for the city of Citrus Heights including the Capital Improvement Program (CIP), traffic engineering, drainage engineering and land development functions.

“The completion of the Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets Phase II project required extensive collaboration with more than 75 property owners, businesses and residents directly affected by the project, and further necessitated coordination with various outside agencies, utility companies, grant awarding agencies and contractors,” the proclamation read.

In all, Blomquist managed 15 separate funding sources and over 200 bid items and contract change orders, all of which she directly managed and led throughout the entirety of construction, according to the citation.

“Leslie’s impressive engineering expertise and problem-solving proficiency ensured attention to every detail during construction, guaranteeing the city and public’s safety and best interest were always at the forefront,” the citation read.

New crosswalks were also added along each of the intersections along the boulevard between Antelope Road and Orlando Avenue.

Traffic signals were also upgraded along Auburn Boulevard. New traffic lights were added at Whyte Avenue and in front of the two shopping plazas on either side of the boulevard near where the ceremony took place.

The last portion of the project, the installation of a new Gateway Arch across Auburn Boulevard was completed earlier this summer with stone veneer since added to the two pilasters on either side of the roadway. The new gateway arch features an embedded, signalized light allowing drivers to turn into and out of the shopping centers near Whyte Avenue safely.

In all, one mile of pedestrian/bike facilities were constructed, 104 new trees installed, 75 new decorative streetlights installed and over 57,067 linear feet of new curb and gutter were poured.

Four traffic signals along Auburn Boulevard were reconstructed and one new traffic signal was added.

Twenty-two properties were converted from overhead utilities to underground utilities. Over 87,600 linear feet of underground utility conduit was installed. Some 5,832 linear feet of underground storm drainpipe and 888 linear feet of new underground watermain pipe were also installed.

Multiple subcontractors also performed key components of the project including Pacific Excavation, Teichert Energy and Utilities Group, Mozingo Construction, Inc. and Sierra Traffic Markings, Inc.

Prior to the ribbon-cutting ceremony, tables full of locally catered foods from various businesses along the boulevard offered a plentiful variety of early lunch choices to nosh on and included Kely’s Crepes and Burgers, Beto’s Tacos, Felipe’s Mexican Restaurant, Mi Lindo Jalisco Restaurant, California Burgers, the Greenhouse Café, Tea It – Boba and More, Shanghai Chinese Restaurant and Delish Pizza.