The longest 2.7 miles – Elk Grove City Council supports roundabouts on Southeast Connector ‘Special Sheldon Segment’
Of the 34 miles of the planned Southeast Connector Road, perhaps the most challenging section has been through Elk Grove’s rural Sheldon neighborhood along Grant Line Road. That 2.7-mile stretch between Calvine and Bond roads called the Special Sheldon Segment had been the subject of long-term outreach and public comment.
At their regular meeting last night, the Elk Grove City Council signaled their support for the placement of roundabouts instead of traffic-controlled intersections through the Sheldon neighborhood. The Southeast Connector is a four-lane roadway to connect Elk Grove at CA Highway 99 and Grant Line Road to U.S. Highway 50 in El Dorado Hills and be more closely associated with a freeway instead of a traffic signal-controlled road.
After hearing staff presentations and public comments that were evenly split between those supporting and opposing roundabouts, Elk Grove City Councilmember Kevin Spease said he has a love-hate relationship with the configuration.
“What a roundabout does is, and I want to be sure I say it correct, it reduces the likelihood of a head-on collision,” he said. “And for that reason, a traffic circle is the safest.”
In recent years, Elk Grove has placed roundabouts along Sheldon Road, where it intersects Waterman and Bradshaw roads. They have helped ease traffic congestion during commute hours.
During his comments, Elk Grove City Councilmember Pat Hume said that while he supports private property rights, without using the term, he implied there would be property seized by eminent domain. Hume has been Elk Grove’s representative on the Southeast Connector Joint Power Authority, the multi-jurisdictional agency tasked with completing the 34-mile road.
“We cannot take into account the survival or sacrifice of any particular business,” Hume stated. “I think the fact of doing right for the long haul, for the overall functionality, and for the shelf life of the money that will be expended trumps any particular business, and so, therefore, there are winners and losers.”
After they concluded their deliberations, the city council directed staff to continue the specific options presented (see image below). Along with the roundabouts, one proposed layout would redirect Wilton Road to preserve businesses located at its intersection with Grant Line Road.
While each council member expressed their individual preferences, as public works director Jeff Werner noted, “the mayor’s input, as she provided, is perfect. We continue to do the analysis, continue to do the conversation with the community, that’s fine.”
