CA: Is light rail coming to Elk Grove? Take a look at the city’s plans

Sacramento Regional Transit and Elk Grove have put forth three plans to extend light rail service into the growing suburban city — and they’re seeking comments from the public on how to proceed.

Elk Grove officials said that expanding public transportation options would relieve traffic congestion between their city and Sacramento. They also expect it to stimulate development along the corridor. In each of the city’s plans, trains or buses would run every 15 minutes throughout the day, and travel times for transit riders would get significantly faster.

Elk Grove and RT have released a total of four plans. One of the plans, titled Alternative 3, would not extend light rail, instead opting for a new Bus Rapid Transit line. The buses would run from the Cosumnes River College light rail station to Elk Grove’s southern city limit on Kammerer Road near the Sky River Casino.

The plan expected to take the most drivers off the road is called Alternative 2, which would extend light rail’s blue line 6.4 miles to Kammerer Road; it would also have a fully separated bike and pedestrian path along most of its route. This one is expected to be the most expensive to build.

Another plan, Alternative 4, would also extend light rail to Kammerer Road, but would include a section where trains share a lane with drivers. That plan would mean transit riders would face vehicle traffic, leading to less reliability and slower travel times. Alternative 4 is the only plan that would create a fully separated bike and pedestrian route along its entire route.

The final option, Alternative 1, would extend the blue line just 3.6 miles to District56, just south of Elk Grove Boulevard. From there, a rapid bus line would go to Kammerer Road. This option would likely include “buffered” bike lanes. In the city of Sacramento, buffered bike lanes typically involve wider painted separation between cyclists and cars on the road, which are sometimes paired with soft plastic bollards as an added visual barrier.

The estimated construction time varied from three to five years for each plan. The shortest construction time would likely be for the bus-only plan, Alternative 3, since building bus-only lanes is easier than installing rail.

Members of the public can comment on the plans in an online survey. The city is also hosting a Zoom community meeting at 6 p.m. Sept. 11.

Currently, travel time between the Cosumnes River College light rail station and District56 takes up to 18 minutes on the bus. All the plans would decrease those times, with the greatest gains under Alternative 2’s light rail extension. That plan would halve the travel time for light rail passengers.