Supervisors Hear Update on Raise80 Project Through Placer County


Published on March 24, 2015

An ambitious project to increase the vertical clearance of nine overcrossings over Interstate 80 through Placer County is on time according to an update presented to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. Liza Whitmore, a representative for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) provided the information, giving detail about the status of the Raise80 project.

Of the nine projects, four have been completed. All of those have involved lifting the overcrossings to the necessary distance to achieve the federally-mandate clearance of 16 feet 6 inches. The remaining overcrossings will either entail lifting the structures or lowering the surface of the interstate and in some cases, possibly doing both. 

Caltrans has been getting the word out about the project by using a variety of social media, in addition to enlisting the help of traditional media. To sign up for notifications about road closures and detours, see the links at the bottom. During the lifting phase of each overcrossing, the interstate will be closed overnight for two consecutive days from 11 p.m. until 5 a.m. the next morning.  The roads over the actual overpasses will be closed about two to three weeks as Caltrans builds up the approaches and performs improvements. 

The Horseshoe Bar Road overcrossing in Loomis will be the next overcrossing to be lifted. Initial work has already begun and the lifting, with requisite interstate closing, is scheduled for April 14 and 15. Other planned closures will be well communicated in advance of the dates, once those specific dates are determined.

Overcrossings scheduled for upcoming work are:

  • Horseshoe Bar Road: April 14 and 15, 2015;
  • Weimar Cross Road: May, 2015;
  • King Road: June, 2015;
  • Newcastle Union Pacific rail crossing; September, 2015, and
  • Newcastle Road: September, 2015.

Overcrossings where work has been completed are:

  • Magra Road: September 25, 2014;
  • Penryn Road: November 14, 2014;
  • Brace Road: January 29, 2015; and
  • Gilardi Road: March 5, 2015.

The work to increase the clearances has two benefits. One is for national security, to allow military vehicles unimpaired travel on I-80; the other is for local safety and interstate commerce. Trucks that are too tall for the low overcrossings are forced to use adjacent surface roads. Large trucks traveling on local roads pose increased danger to nearby communities. Additionally, increased large truck traffic on local roads increases wear and necessitates more maintenance. 

To stay informed about work schedules and road closure, join the project’s social media sites:

Facebook: Facebook 
Twitter: Rasie80 on Twitter 
Project Alerts E-blast: Sign up at Raise80  
Text:  “Raise80” to 20673
Open for Business signups: Rasie80/open