By Sara Beth Williams–
City officials gathered with local and regional leaders and partners to celebrate the official completion of the second phase of construction in the Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets Project on Thursday, just 12 years after the completion of the first phase of the Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets Project.
“Auburn Boulevard has a new chapter,” Citrus Heights Mayor MariJane Lopez-Taff said in her remarks at a ceremonial ribbon cutting Thursday morning, marking the official end of construction on the corridor.
Lopez-Taff called the corridor one of the most important corridors in the city and thanked city staff and all local and regional partners who helped bring the project to fruition.
Citrus Heights City Manager Ash Feeney also thanked all city staff; local and regional partners; construction and engineering teams; and more, calling the completion “an historic occasion.”
The $36 million project represented the largest infrastructure project the city has ever undertaken, city officials said. General Services Director Regina Cave said the project was funded through 15 different sources, consisting mostly of grants from regional partners, and also said reserves funding was utilized to help match some of the grant funding.
Approved in May 2024 and launched in the summer of 2024, the major infrastructure project began with a budget of about $35 million and ended with a budget of over $36 million, drawing both excitement and criticism from across the community.
The revitalization extends from Rusch Community Park down to the corner of Auburn Boulevard and Whyte Avenue at the city’s northern border with Roseville 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 improvements were designed to mimic the same or as similar as possible, improvements completed along the corridor from Sylvan Corners to Rusch Park 12 years prior.
Traffic signals were also upgraded along the boulevard, and new traffic lights were added at Whyte Avenue and in front of the two shopping plazas on either side of the boulevard.
The new gateway arch was installed with an embedded, signalized light, which now allows drivers safer turning maneuvers into and out of the shopping centers on the corridor. The new arch and signal light also came with added crosswalks, allowing pedestrians to cross safely.
Missing crosswalks were also added along each of the intersections along the boulevard between Antelope Road and Orlando Avenue.
Throughout the project, drivers, residents, business representatives, and business owners expressed frustration due to traffic snarls, constant backups, and constant 24/7 lane closures. The city said closing at least one lane 24/7, including on weekends, helped to shave a couple of million from the budget, and helped to expedite the infrastructure project by freeing up construction workers from having to set up and tear down traffic controls each morning.
Many businesses, who relied on foot traffic, felt a deep hit in their earnings and were forced to use savings to cover the cost of operations during the two years of construction. Some said they asked for assistance from the city. Some business owners and managers told The Sentinel that customers told them directly they would not come to their place of business during construction.
Other business owners who were service-based, such as doctor offices, print shops, and repair shops, were not as impacted, as their companies didn’t rely on foot traffic but appointments instead.
During a business walk conducted by the Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce in November 2025, several representatives of businesses visited expressed excitement about the project and the beautification and improvements planned.
City officials on Thursday thanked the businesses for their patience and resilience and said the businesses they have spoken with have commended the revitalization. A spread of locally catered foods from various businesses along the boulevard, including Kelly’s Crepes and Burgers, two Mexican restaurants, and two pizza shops, was available for event attendees prior to the ceremony.
The construction of medians and turn pockets up and down the boulevard also proved to be a source of contention among many business owners and operators who rely on large rigs to bring in their inventory, such as NAPA auto parts, a local muffler shop, and a former Chevron gas station (now turned 76).
City engineers have said they have worked with businesses who expressed concerns about the medians.
When construction began in 2024, the city offered an hour each Thursday during the day where business representatives had the opportunity to speak with city staff and construction staff. Some business owners told The Sentinel the ‘office hour’ was not a convenient time for them to visit.
The city said in 2025 that the office hour was discontinued due to lack of interest.
Almost $26 million was secured in grant funding for the project, including $20 million in grants from the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG), and additional 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 would 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.
The original “Boulevard Plan” adopted in 2005 set the framework for developing a plan for revitalizing the Auburn Boulevard corridor from Sylvan Corners to the northern city limits.
Twelve years ago in July 2014, City Council members, business owners and other elected officials gathered to celebrate the completion of ‘Phase 1’ of Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets Project. In total, both phases of the Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets project stretched. 1.75 miles.
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