$25 Million for Upgrades to Grant Line Road Safety
Jul 25, 2024 04:43PM ● By Gail Bullen
Congressman Ami Bera presents a $25-million check to the Capital SouthEast Connector representatives on July 17 at a Teichert Aggregates plant on Grant Line Road. From left are El Dorado County Supervisor John Hidahl, Bera, Sacramento County Supervisor Pat Hume, Rancho Cordova City Councilmember and Capital SouthEast Connector Joint Powers Authority Chair Garrett Gatewood, Capital SouthEast Connector Executive Director Derek Minnema, Elk Grove City Councilmember Sergio Robles, State Sen. Roger Niello and Folsom City Councilmember Mike Kozlowski. Photo by Gail Bullen
$25 Million for Grant Line Road Safety [2 Images]
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RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - Regional leaders celebrated the United States Department of Transportation’s (DOT) allocation of $25 million to the Capital SouthEast Connector project at a July 17 news conference held at the Teichert Aggregate Plant on Grant Line Road.
The federal grant will address long-standing safety issues on a three-and-a-half-mile segment of Grant Line Road between White Rock and Douglas Road in Rancho Cordova by transforming it into a four-lane roadway with a separate lane for bikes and pedestrians.
After all segments in the 34-mile-long connector are constructed, it will link Interstate 5 at the town of Franklin to Highway 50 in El Dorado Hills by transforming Kammerer, Grant Line and White Rock roads into an expressway.
Rancho Cordova Councilman Garrett Gatewood, who chairs the Capital SouthEast Connector Joint Powers Authority (JPA) Board of Directors, was the emcee at the press conference. He described Congressman Ami Bera, D-Elk Grove, as the driving force behind the grant.
“This is a huge milestone for our region,” Gatewood said. “I want to say thank you to Ami Bera because he really led the effort in so many ways. He is such a blessing to the city.”
Bera told the crowd he has been seeking grants for the Connector from the federal Department of Transportation (DOT) since his election in 2012, but he didn’t get any good news until about a month ago. “To get this $25 million is really a catalyst for us to finish the entire project,” he said. “We’ve got a real opportunity to do this right, to grow and really do this right.”
Bera is also seeking another $10 million for Rancho Cordova as part of the congressional appropriations process, he said.
In addition to Bera and Gatewood, six other regional leaders spoke at the celebratory event. They included Sacramento County Supervisor Pat Hume, who represents Rancho Cordova; Construction & General Laborers Local 185 Business Manager Doyle Radford; Rancho Cordova Vice-Mayor Siri Pulipati; Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper, who lives in Rancho Cordova; Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District Assistant Chief Jon Rudnicki; and Congressman Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin.
During their remarks, the glaring safety issues on Grant Line Road and politicians working across the aisle were reoccurring themes.
Safety
Gatewood said using the grant money to make Grant Line Road improvements will make Rancho Cordova safer.
“If you look behind me, this is literally the most dangerous road in the region,” Gatewood said. “This road is what we call death alley. There are more accidents than anywhere else in the region.”
Kiley provided the grim statistics. He said 125 accidents and three fatalities had occurred within a four-year time span.
Rancho Cordova Vice-Mayor Pulipati shared her personal experience with the dangerous conditions on Grant Line Road. One day, while driving along the road, she saw a wide-bodied truck approaching from the opposite direction and moved a little to the right.
“The next thing I know, my tire hits the edge of the road. (My vehicle) blew through the fence and rolled over a couple of times in the middle of a field,” she said. “I walked away without any major injuries but not everybody got that lucky.”
The grant “is a big step” in making Grant Line Road safer, more connective, and more sustainable, Pulipati said.
Cooper described Grant Line Road as a critical route to the South County. “This is kind of late in coming but we need it,” the sheriff said. “It’s a safety issue for our motoring public and for your first responders.”
Rudnicki, who heads the fire district’s emergency medical services, said that flooding and frequent wildland fires compound the problems along Grant Line Road.
“What we are celebrating today is an engineered solution to solving many problems,” Rudnicki said.
Political Teamwork
Hume thanked Bera for his extensive work securing the grant.
“He and I may not have the same letter in the parentheses behind our names and we may disagree on policies from an ideological standpoint,” the county supervisor said.
“But I know in my heart of hearts that he represents his constituency from his heart of hearts.”
Kiley also referred to the political divisions in the country. He said one way to overcome them is through regional projects that tangibly affect people’s lives.
“That is why I think that ‘Connector’ is the perfect name,” Kiley said. “This is all about connecting people, connecting regions and connecting communities.”
Bera was asked his thoughts following the ceremony.
“With all the dysfunction in Washington, D.C., that is now going on around the election, it feels good to be home,” he said.
“It reminds me that my most important job is actually representing folks in Sacramento.”
Background
The funding request was submitted by the Connector JPA, the Sacramento County Department of Transportation and the City of Rancho Cordova.
The Grant Line Road Safety Improvement Project was one of 148 road construction projects that received funds as part of the $1.8 billion Federal Administration Rebuilding American Infrastructure Sustainable and Equity (RAISE) grant program.
The RAISE goal is to fund surface transportation projects that will have a significant local or regional impact that advances the federal priorities of safety, equity, climate and sustainability and workforce development. H
