Long-delayed Auburn Roundabout Project finally set to resume

Construction on the American Canyon Roundabout Project in Auburn at the intersection of State Route 49 (SR-49) and Lincoln Way/Borland Avenue began nearly three years ago, and at long last, it finally has a date for completion. Construction began in the fall of 2022 but an unforeseen permit issue caused a delay in the work. According to Caltrans Public Information Officer Jeremy Linder, a critical sewer line relocation has delayed the project due to prolonged back-and-forth with Union Pacific. The city of Auburn owns the sewer line, but since part of the work falls within the railroad's right of way, an encroachment permit is required. Linder says Caltrans has submitted all requested documentation and responded to multiple rounds of follow-up questions from Union Pacific but continues to face long wait times for responses, stalling the progress. "They are doing their due diligence and trying to get the information they feel is necessary to give us the green light and to approve the work that is needed," Linder said of Union Pacific. "But we definitely didn't anticipate it to drag on as long as it has." "We had several iterations with Union Pacific back and forth regarding the plans," said Auburn Public Works Director Mengil Deane. "Finally, just about two months ago, Union Pacific came back and said that they're having some issues figuring out property discrepancies so they're going to elevate this to management and to upper management. Since then, both myself, the City Manager (Sean Rabé) and folks from Caltrans have reached out to them asking what that means and we haven't really received a very good answer to that." Linder says the delays have reached a point where it was deemed necessary to continue the project without relocating the utility line and that construction will resume in September. He expects the project to be completed by the end of 2025. "We have to complete our project and move forward," said Linder. "We hope that between now and Labor Day that we can get those permits in hand, because we still feel that the sewer location relocation is very vital to this particular project." Linder added the project has to be completed within a particular time frame based on how the money was allotted by the California Transportation Commission, so Caltrans has no choice but to continue the work. He noted this is not the ideal way to resume the work, as working the project around the sewer line as it stands could lead to future problems in the area. If the sewer line isn't relocated, a manhole would remain in the middle of the travel lane within the new roundabout. According to Linder, any future maintenance by the city of Auburn could require a lane closure that might shut down the roundabout entirely, creating major traffic disruptions and a complicated detour. "You have a lot of people coming up from the Confluence that are going to have to take Old Foresthill Road all the way farther up north. It's definitely not ideal," said Linder. "By doing the relocation, we were hoping to have that line moved so that the manhole cover is now in the middle of the center island of the roundabout, allowing some additional shelter if the city had to do work." Deane said the project had to make some changes in order to move forward with the work, but he's happy to see that construction will resume soon and that it will be wrapped up. "The business owners, rightfully so, are a little upset yeah because the area doesn't necessarily look that great. As it is, it doesn't necessarily promote people just walking about and wanting to visit and see what's going on because it's a bit of an eyesore and has been for over a year and a half," said Deane. "The unfortunate truth is, there's not a whole lot we can do for that other than support our partners in Caltrans and get the project moving forward." Deane added the roundabout will be fully functional when completed, but its center will be paved with asphalt instead of permanent and beautifying materials like concrete or pavers to allow for possible future utility work. The Auburn Journal reached out to Union Pacific for an interview but instead received a statement saying, "We continue to engage with the city of Auburn and CalTrans to progress this project through our permitting process that meets the needs and standards of all three organizations." Two additional interview requests were made to Union Pacific, asking for more clarification on what additional information the railroad requires to move the project forward as planned and the reasons behind the repeated delays. Union Pacific declined the interview. Deane looks forward to seeing the project through, saying, "This roundabout is going to be a great thing for the community. It's just unfortunate that it's taken so long to get it here."