Caltrans Schedules New Highway 20 and Interstate 80 Restrictions
The Highway 20 connector to westbound Interstate 80 remains closed.
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Construction of the new Interstate 80 bridge, with Highway 20 below.
NEVADA COUNTY – Caltrans District 3 has scheduled daytime and overnight traffic controls along Highway 20 and Interstate 80 for the week of October 12, plus a Yuba Gap on-ramp closure through October 20. The Highway 20 connector to westbound Interstate 80 remains closed until further notice as bridge construction continues.
At Yuba Gap, the on-ramp to westbound Interstate 80 is scheduled to be closed from 6 AM Monday, October 12, through 6 PM Tuesday, October 20. Drivers leaving Yuba Gap for westbound Interstate 80 must take eastbound Interstate 80 to the Eagle Lakes Road exit, then return westbound. Caltrans’s closure listing identifies concrete curing as the work for this ramp shutdown.
The ramp closure is part of the Yuba Pass Separation Overhead Bridge Project at the Interstate 80–Highway 20 junction near Yuba Gap. Caltrans is replacing and widening two bridges, building median retaining walls, repairing drainage, and installing equipment to monitor roadway weather. The agency says the existing bridges have cracked and deteriorating concrete; it estimates the project’s total cost at about $112 million.
The Highway 20 Pavement Rehabilitation Project covers nearly 26 miles from Dow Road near Nevada City to Interstate 80. The work repaves the highway, repairs drainage systems, and upgrades guardrails, signs, and centerline rumble strips. Caltrans estimates the project’s cost at $34.6 million.
The Highway 20 pavement project extends from Dow Road near Nevada City to the Interstate 80 junction near Yuba Gap. Red lines show project sections.
Eastbound Highway 20 is scheduled to be open. Caltrans’s pavement-work schedule calls for one-way traffic controls at these locations:
Steep Hill Road to Rock Creek Road: 7 AM Monday, October 12, to 6 AM Tuesday, October 13.
Rock Creek Road to Washington Road: 7 AM to 6 PM Monday, October 12, through Thursday, October 15, and 7 AM to noon Friday, October 16.
Casci Road to White Cloud Campground: 6 PM Tuesday, October 13, to 6 AM Wednesday, October 14.
Skillman Road to Chalk Bluff Road: 6 PM Wednesday, October 14, to 6 AM Thursday, October 15.
Lowell Hill Road to Bear Valley Road: 6 PM Thursday, October 15, to 6 AM Friday, October 16.
For the Blue Canyon Pavement Rehabilitation Project, westbound Interstate 80 lane closures between Emigrant Gap and the Whitmore Maintenance Station are scheduled nightly from 8 PM to 6 AM Monday, October 12, through Thursday, October 15. Work ends for the week at 6 AM Friday, October 16.
The Drum Forebay Drainage Restoration Project repairs and replaces deteriorating culverts along Interstate 80. Eastbound lane closures are scheduled between Whitmore Maintenance Station and Blue Canyon, and between Rainbow and Troy, from 7 AM to 7 PM Monday, October 12, through Wednesday, October 14. Westbound lane closures between Troy and Rainbow are scheduled from 6 AM to 7 PM Monday, October 12, through Thursday, October 15.
Farther east, the Soda Springs Pavement Rehabilitation Project repairs Interstate 80’s worn pavement and drainage, adds an eastbound truck climbing lane, and replaces bridges at Troy Road and Kingvale. The project’s westbound lane closures between Soda Springs and Troy are scheduled from 7 AM to 6 PM Tuesday, October 13, through Friday, October 16.
Ongoing Ramp Closures
Westbound Interstate 80 traffic uses a crossover onto the eastbound bridge while crews replace the westbound span. Two earlier ramp restrictions remain in effect near Yuba Gap:
Highway 20 connector to westbound Interstate 80: Remains closed until further notice. Drivers must take eastbound Interstate 80 to the Eagle Lakes Road exit, then return westbound.
Westbound Interstate 80 off-ramp at Yuba Gap: Remains closed until further notice. Drivers continue west to the Emigrant Gap exit, then return on eastbound Interstate 80 to reach Yuba Gap.
Caltrans advises drivers to allow extra travel time. For trips across the entire Interstate 80 construction corridor in Placer and Nevada counties, the agency says combined delays may reach two hours, depending on traffic volume.
Weather, materials availability, and other conditions can change the work schedule. Drivers can check Caltrans QuickMap for current closures and traffic before leaving.