To:	Capital/Southeast Connector JPA
Cc:	El Dorado County Board of Supervisors, Assemblymember Alyson Huber
From:	El Dorado Hills Citizens Alliance
Date:	February 9, 2009
Subject:	Connector Planning for the El Dorado Hills area, including eastern Folsom: A sample illustrating principles for dispersion/collection of Connector traffic

This communication is for attention of the Connector Board of Directors, Executive Director, Staff, and Advisory Committee.
A copy of this is posted at http://www.edhca.net/collector_letter_2.html

Planning must recognize that the route currently drawn by the JPA is not viable: Its largest problem is routing of through traffice via surface streets through the part of El Dorado Hills at highest risk of traffic congestion. This is White Rock Road, connecting with US 50 at the future Silva Valley interchange.

• The most traffic-critical area in El Dorado Hills is the Town Center area and the most traffic-critical intersection is Latrobe Road and White Rock Road.
• The EDH road network carries not only EDH traffic but also nearly all through traffic between Sacramento County and El Dorado County.
• If designed carefully in conjunction with other road system improvements the Connector can relieve traffic in EDH instead of increasing it.
• Routing of through traffic and distribution of Connector access from EDH through multiple major feeders is essential.

This letter suggests an example of a the sort of route plan that we believe the Connector JPA needs to consider for the El Dorado Hills area. This is highly interdependent with other road system needs in the El Dorado Hills and Folsom areas, especially involving the Folsom Sphere Of Influence area. This is not a specific proposal for a start point of Connector planning, its purpose is to provide a tangible example of the sort of initial conceptual planning needed.

Sample Plan for Distribution of Connector Traffic

• The route mapped in red is suggested as a primary Connector route for through traffic.
  The most compelling requirement is to keep through traffic away from surface streets in the area centered on Town Center and serving as the major surface street connection to US 50.
  
  Routing of Connector traffic through EDH on US 50 would increase the need to add another mixed-use traffic lane in each direction on US 50. A possible alternative would be to route Connector through traffic past the south side of EDH, which would require El Dorado County to construct a new arterial or highway. Taking Sheldon proposals as an example, a tunnel below EDH could be considered. However, it probably would need to be about 2 miles long and is unlikely to be fiscally feasible. 
   
• White Rock Road can be one of the feeders between the Connector and El Dorado Hills, provided that it serves in conjunction with other roadways to distribute local traffic and not to concentrate it. Ideally, the overall set of road system improvements in El Dorado Hills should decrease V/C on White Rock Road.
   
  
• The Empire Ranch Road interchange and the future extension of Saratoga to Iron Point are essential feeders north of US 50.
  The Empire Ranch Road interchange serves not only Folsom, but also almost all of the El Dorado Hills residential areas north of US 50. The major part of this traffic connects to El Dorado Hills Blvd. via Iron Point Road and Saratoga Way. Additional EDH traffic connects to this interchange via Empire Ranch Road, Sophia Parkway, and Green Valley road. 
   
  Extension of Saratoga Way is essential as a route for Connector traffic to the north side of US 50 in El Dorado County. We believe this needs to be a very high priority for El Dorado County, as it was until recently, to serve EDH/Folsom traffic. However, this project was removed from the 5-year CIP and has no planned date for construction. We believe further that this extension should be built initially as at least a 4-lane divided roadway; the project removed from the CIP called only for it to be built as a 2-lane road.
   
• One or more additional feeders need to be routed to the southern portion of El Dorado Hills.
  This area is in an early phase of very substantial housing buildout, and continued development in the 885-acre El Dorado Hills Business Park will exacerbate peak period congestion. The concept illustrated in the map above relies on the north/south arterial noted in the next bullet item to connect with two major east/west cross streets which been planned by El Dorado County. The east/west arterial or highway south of the Business Park and the new residential areas in the the Valley View and Carson Creek Specific Plan areas is entirely conjectural. Some form of such a roadway will be necessary in the more distant future, but to our knowledge neither El Dorado County, Sacramento County, nor the City of Folsom has considered this. 
   
• A north/south arterial west of the Business Park and the residential areas bordering it is essential.
  This is necessary to provide interconnection between separate east/west roadways, including the Connector, in order to distribute traffic generated by the Business Park and by the new residential developments. The most natural routing for it would lead to the Empire Ranch Road interchange. A natural design would place its northern section in the Folsom SOI area and its southern section in El Dorado Hills/El Dorado County. The El Dorado County 2004 General Plan includes a policy calling for planning of such an arterial, but to date the County has not done so.

Thank you for your consideration of our comments.


Submitted on behalf of the El Dorado Hills Citizens Alliance,


Paul Raveling
President