Improving evacuation routes in case of an emergency is the goal behind a new project proposal in Nevada County. It focuses on a stretch of Highway 49 between Auburn and Grass Valley.
Caltrans is hosting a public meeting Wednesday night to share details and gather feedback on the plan. "These communities are just one wildfire away from a Caldor or a Dixie," said Mike Woodman, the CEO of the Nevada County Transportation Commission. That fear is at the heart of planning for a large-scale evacuation in Nevada County. "If you have a significant evacuation where you're putting 10,000 people on the transportation system, how can we move those people efficiently to save lives?" Woodman said. That question is why the Nevada County Transportation Commission is taking a hard look at Highway 49, one of the main routes in and out of Grass Valley and Nevada City. But there's a problem along a stretch between Wolf and Combie roads and Kenwood Estates, the highway narrows to one lane in each direction, with no shoulders, creating a major bottleneck during mass evacuations. "We'd love to get the highway where it's two lanes in both directions," Woodman said. The project is still in the environmental planning and public comment phase, but the county is working with Caltrans on a proposal that would add a center left-turn lane and expand shoulders by eight feet on the northbound side and 12 feet on the southbound side. The goal is to give drivers more room to get out and first responders the space to get in. "This is a fire resiliency project, and we're trying to improve safety overall for residents in Nevada County," said Jeremy Linder with Caltrans District 3. The project would cost more than $100 million, funded by a combination of state and federal grants. Officials say it's a necessary investment, especially after seeing what can happen when evacuation routes fall short.
"From the public's perspective, I think the Camp Fire was that eye-opening experience that we need to look at our rural areas and what we can do to improve safety," Linder said.If the project moves forward, officials say construction could begin in October 2027 with full completion expected by the summer of 2030.
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