Folsom puts Highway 50 trail underpass in gear

Folsom officials this week approved a design contract for a Highway 50 underpass to connect Folsom Ranch bike trails to the central city network. The Folsom City Council approved a $497,312 contract with consultant Wood Rodgers on Dec. 9 to design the trail undercrossing. The overall cost of the project is pegged at roughly $2.2 million, with help from a $1.2 million active transportation grant. The project site is parallel to Placerville Road in the Sacramento-Placerville Railroad corridor, from Iron Point Road south, connecting to the existing Class I trail on the south side of Highway 50. Currently, there is no connection between the 55 miles of trails north of Highway 50 and the evolving 30 miles of trails south of Highway 50 in the city. The Active Transportation Plan lists the project as "Phase One – High-Priority" that would complete the critical trail gap. The city submitted a State Transportation Improvement Program grant application early this year to the Sacramento Area Council of Governments. The SACOG Board approved $1,274,000 in Folsom funds. The city intends to use the grant for the construction phase of the project, and staff are working with Caltrans and SACOG to make sure the project is approved by the California Transportation Commission at a meeting in early 2026. Staff will return to the City Council at a future date following CTC approval to accept the grant award, officials said. "To avoid unnecessary delays in delivering this project to Folsom residents and trail users, staff desire to proceed with completing the design phase of the project using local funds in order to move directly to construction once the STIP grant funds have been programmed," said Folsom Parks Director Kelly Gonzalez in the report. The project includes three phases: · Segment 1: Construct a Class I Highway 50 trail undercrossing and connect to the existing trails north and south of Highway 50. · Segment 2: Improve the existing trail north of Highway 50 to Iron Point Road and improve the intersection queuing area at the East Bidwell/Iron Point intersection crosswalks for safety. · Segment 3: Pavement rehabilitation of Placerville Road from south of the Hampton Inn to McCarthy Way. For Fiscal Year 2025-26, staff requested $575,312 to cover the project design, including the contract and Folsom staff time. Total project costs are estimated at $2.3 million or so. Staff will have a more accurate cost once design services are complete, said Gonzalez. In other Folsom Ranch trail news, the City Council also approved a memorandum of understanding with the Capital SouthEast Connector Joint Powers Authority about funding and building the White Rock Road Class 1 Trail Project. The JPA received $4 million in federal funds for the trail along White Rock Road, specifically adjacent to portions of the expressway within Folsom and the future segment in El Dorado County, authorities said. The specific limits for the fully funded project extend along White Rock Road from East Bidwell Street to just west of Savannah Parkway, and from Empire Ranch Road to Stonebriar Drive. The MOU term extends through Dec. 1, 2027, or upon completion of the project, whichever occurs first. The JPA Board approved the MOU in November, officials said.