It has been less than a year since the County Department of Transportation (SacDOT) finished work on the final portion of the Hazel Avenue Improvement Project. It was a project designed to reduce congestion along Hazel Avenue and improve mobility for bicyclists and pedestrians, and that work recently earned SacDOT a statewide transportation award.
The $60 million project caught the eye of the California Transportation Foundation, which presented SacDOT with its 2023 Local Street Project of the Year award on June 6. For more than 30 years, the non-profit organization has recognized transportation achievements, innovations, and excellence throughout the state.
This year's award-winning project was the final phase of a fifteen-year effort to beautify Hazel Avenue from Highway 50 to Madison Avenue. The project widened Hazel Avenue from 4 to 6 lanes to reduce congestion while increasing safety and mobility for all modes of transportation.
Other significant improvements along Hazel Avenue included:
- Bikeways and ADA-compliant pedestrian facilities. These new bicycle and pedestrian facilities provide safe connections to the American River Parkway and the trail system adjacent to the Hazel Avenue Bridge and Lake Natoma.
- Public transit enhancements with new turn-out lanes for buses so the traffic can keep moving.
- The turn-out lanes also allow bus riders to board safely.
SacDOT Chief Civil Engineer, Steve White, accepted the award on behalf of the County. White praised Principal Civil Engineer, Melissa Wright, and her in-house design team, led by Project Manager, Tim Stevens and Project Engineer, James Eslabon, for designing and developing the final phase of the Hazel Avenue Improvement Project. Teichert Construction, Pacific Excavation, RNR Construction Inc., TRC Companies Inc., County Construction Management Inspection Division, and County Real Estate Division were also acknowledged as integral members for helping build the project.
White also pointed out that completion of the Hazel Avenue work would not have been possible without the continuing support of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors and our partnerships with local funding partners Fair Oaks Water District and Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD). SMUD removed overhead powerlines and placed them underground, while the water district used the project to upgrade its water system for residents and businesses.
The California Transportation Foundation's annual awards program was held in Sacramento at the Grand Sheraton where SacDOT beat out other local street project finalists from Truckee, Live Oak, and Caltrans.