Just in time for the start of summer travel, travelers have a new option for reaching Sacramento International Airport.
The Elkhorn Boulevard extension opened on May 21, connecting Highway 99 in North Natomas to the airport.
“This expansion is approximately one mile long and features four lanes, curbs, gutters, walkways, ramps, a traffic light and signage,” Sacramento Airport said in an Instagram post on May 21.
“This project will really help us because it will give us an additional entrance and exit to the airport,” Scott Johnston, spokesman for the Sacramento County Airport Authority, said Friday.
What is the new road construction project at Sacramento Airport?
The project involved extending Elkhorn Boulevard from Metro Air Park to Airport Boulevard by approximately 5,900 feet.
Elkhorn Boulevard previously ended at Power Line Road.
Construction crews also added “a roundabout at Crossfield Drive, a 32-acre retention pond on the eastern portion of the site, a new traffic light at the intersection of Power Line Road and Elkhorn Boulevard, surface improvements, and a water connection for utilities,” the website says.
The project, which started in April 2023, cost $14.5 million, The Sacramento Bee reported at the time.
About $11 million of the new road’s funding came from state transportation.
What impact will the extension of Elkhorn Boulevard have on traffic?
Before the opening of the Elkhorn Boulevard extension, drivers had only one entrance to the airport.
Ongoing construction throughout Sacramento sometimes “spreads onto the freeways” and causes “backups” at the airport, Johnston said.
The new extension of Elkhorn Boulevard now provides travelers with a direct connection to the airport via Highway 99.
Travelers can “take the Elkhorn Extension across from (Highway) 99, which allows them to avoid the Interstate 5 ramp,” Johnston said.
According to Johnston and the airport, the Elkhorn Boulevard entrance also connects travelers to the airport’s free waiting area near the AMPM gas station.
“Next time you pick someone up, remember to wait there instead of walking around,” the airport said in its Instagram post. “It’s a win-win for efficiency and convenience.”
What would you like to know about life in Sacramento? Ask our service journalism team your top questions in the module below or email [email protected].
