
By Sara Beth Williams–
Nearly ten years after the first phase of the Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets Project was completed, the Citrus Heights City Council on Thursday gave the green light for construction to begin on the second phase of revitalization for Auburn Boulevard.
In a May 9 City Council meeting, the council voted unanimously to approve awarding a construction contract to George Reed, Inc. for $28.9 million. The council also unanimously approved contracts for construction management and design support services.
“It’s a miracle, but it has arrived,” Mayor Bret Daniels said before approving the final construction contracts. Councilmember Tim Schaefer added that funds for the project have been built into the budget “for years.”
The planned revitalization project extends from Rusch Community Park down to the corner of Auburn Boulevard and Orlando Avenue and includes widening lanes and adding bike lanes, undergrounding utilities, storm drain upgrades, new landscaping and trees, new roadway medians, decorative street lighting, updated re-striping, crosswalks and transit stops, and a custom gateway arch welcoming drivers into Citrus Heights.
The city also said a new traffic signal will be installed south of Whyte Avenue, allowing for safer turning maneuvers into and out of shopping centers on the corridor, as well as allowing pedestrians to safely cross from one side of Auburn Boulevard to the other.
General Services Director Regina Cave commended City Engineer Leslie Blomquist and other engineers on the project, saying that bringing the project to this point while simultaneously working on multiple other city projects was “a huge feat.”
The long-awaited revitalization of Auburn Boulevard is projected to cost $35.5 million, according to the City. $25.9 million in grant funding has already been secured for the project, including several grants from the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG), 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.
In addition, the city indicated two different utility districts will be reimbursing the city an estimated amount of $1.1 million for construction that will be completed on behalf of the districts during the Complete Streets Project.
On May 9, the City Council also approved entering into a contract with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), which will secure another $1.3 million in financial support from SMUD’s System Enhancement Program for the purpose of undergrounding utilities. According to the city, in addition to the $1.3 million, SMUD will be providing an estimated $1.4 million in labor and materials toward the project at no cost to the city.
Lastly, $7 million in various local funds will go toward the project to cover the total cost.
Previous plans to begin revitalization along Auburn Boulevard earlier in the year stalled due to construction bids for the project coming in at almost $10 million over budget.
In an effort to decrease the cost of the project, modifications were made to the original bid package, including removing temporary traffic controls, which will minimize labor costs and result in allowing 24-hour lane closures while the work is active, and reducing the number of storm drain replacements. As well, the city anticipates coordinating with SMUD to modify backfill requirements for underground trenching.

The Boulevard Plan, adopted in 2005, set the framework for developing the Auburn Boulevard corridor from Sylvan Corners to the northern city limits. The Auburn Boulevard Project is the city’s largest public works project, with Phase 1 (Sylvan Corners to Rusch Park) completed in 2014. The second phase of the project was anticipated to begin in 2021, but that date has been pushed back several times.
Nearly ten years after the first phase of the Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets Project was completed, the Citrus Heights City Council on Thursday gave the green light for construction to begin on the second phase of revitalization for Auburn Boulevard...
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