In order to access federal funding for the East Wheatland Expressway – a proposed bypass on Highway 65 – Yuba County and Wheatland are seeking support from neighboring jurisdictions in hopes of placing the project on the Sacramento Area Council of Governments’ (SACOG) Metropolitan Transportation Plan update.
Both residents and Wheatland city officials have identified traffic as a prominent issue impacting the community, and talks of a Wheatland bypass have been ongoing for years. The East Wheatland Expressway proposes a solution by effectively funneling traffic away from Highway 65 south of Wheatland and directing it toward Beale Air Force Base, Wheatland City manager Bill Zenoni said.
“The traffic on 65 is bad; it just backs up. There are more cars that that road can handle at certain times of the day. It’s a two-lane highway, and we’ve had a number of fatalities. It’s a traffic issue, and it’s also a safety issue,” he said.
In 2017, Wheatland adopted a resolution to join the South Yuba Transportation Improvement Authority alongside Yuba County, allowing for more collaboration regarding transportation infrastructure developments. After developing an implementation plan in 2022, the Transportation Improvement Authority identified four projects that would impact overall safety and transportation efficiency in the area: East Wheatland Expressway, South Beale Road interchange, Highway 70 loop on-ramp with Plumas Lake Boulevard extension, and a future Highway 65 realignment.
Wheatland, Yuba County and Placer County are now working together to construct the Expressway, the first phase of a proposed project known as the Wheatland Bypass that will ultimately alleviate traffic congestion in south Yuba County, the Appeal previously reported.
According to Yuba County officials, the proposed project will include an overcrossing of Highway 65 and the Union Pacific Railroad, a bridge across the Bear River, and a crossing of the South Sutter Canal north of Riosa Road.
“(South Yuba Transportation Improvement Authority) has authorized us to get to the planning level just before the environmental review process. It’s helped give our project some definition, so we understand our project and the difficulties facing us. We have to cross the Bear River, and we have to cross the (Union Pacific Railroad) over the top of both,” Wheatland City Engineer Dane Schilling said.
Schilling said that current estimates place the Expressway’s total cost at $110 million to get from Riosa Road to Spenceville Road. The project will be built to freeway standards with the goal of expanding it to four lanes in the future, he said.
However, in order to obtain federal and state transportation funding, the Expressway must be included in SACOG’s Metropolitan Transportation Plan update.
“It’s a requirement in order to access these funds that our regional metropolitan planning organization agrees with the project. … It takes some negotiation and agreement, and it has to be a priority in their eyes to be listed. It has to compete with other projects in the whole metropolitan Sacramento area,” Schilling said.
If funding can be acquired, Schilling estimates that construction could begin within five to 10 years.
“What we have to do is get this project on SACOG’s plan in order to qualify for federal funding,” Zenoni said. “We’re trying to get as much support from our neighboring jurisdictions as possible to demonstrate the importance of this project to the whole area.”
According to Zenoni, Sutter County and Beale Air Force Base are backing the project as it will have demonstrated benefits to both areas. On April 9, the Sutter County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution expressing the county’s support. With Wheatland’s proximity to the Sutter County line, installing traffic improvements in the area will also reduce congestion and provide improved evacuation routes for Yuba-Sutter residents in the event of a flood or fire.
“It would be an important feature for emergency evacuations. We discovered during the Oroville incident that access to the Wheatland area is limited, and getting people out in a timely manner was difficult. We need better access there,” Schilling said.
According to the resolution, the project will provide a secondary access point to Beale, which will improve access for off-base personnel and response times in the event of an emergency. It will also support the development of quality housing to reduce commute lengths and response times for off-base personnel, officials said.
“Beale Air Force Base is also engaging and supporting the project because they’re looking at this as a necessary project from a national security perspective,” Zenoni said. “A number of their officers live off-base and commute into and out of Wheatland. If there were ever a national emergency, there’s a need to get their staff on base quickly. Currently, with the traffic situation, that’s a challenge.”
Schilling expressed similar sentiments on the project’s impact on Beale, saying that traffic continues to impact their duties.
“The Bear River bridge has had some accidents on it that block the bridge, and we’ve had airmen that are prevented from getting to their critical missions at Beale because of accidents on the bridge. Having that second access would be very helpful,” Schilling said.
