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Auburn-Folsom Road Project Nearing Conclusion After Nearly Two Years

FOLSOM (CBS13) — A major road construction project has slowed traffic over the past few years, but the end could be in sight.

The busy stretch of roadway known as Auburn-Folsom Road connects the Roseville and Granite Bay areas to Folsom.

The project is finally expected to be done by the end of this summer.

But there's more to dig with this major roadway redo. It's one of the largest the area has seen, and involves turning a century-old country road into a major four-lane bypass.

But drivers lately are probably wondering why there isn't much going on.

Bob Vrooman, the senior engineer in charge, admits not a whole lot of work is going on at the moment, but for good reason.

"Right now we're kind of in a Winter mode—we're doing stage work in the middle. We're building medians," he said.

That's because they're in a holding pattern waiting to get approval to move forward with a section of the project including the bridge over Linda Creek.

"That's being held up," he said. "We can't do that work because we have to protect the stream and we're limited by the permits that are out there."

The bridge work will start in mid-April, and drivers will notice the flow of traffic will shift once again.

Those in charge say they understand that people behind the wheel are frustrated. After all, crews started working on the project in October of 2013.

"What I would tell them is construction is messy," he said. "It was bad before; it's tough during construction as well but once we get done with this project it's gonna move traffic here really smooth."

To make it smoother and safer, part of the road-widening project involved raising the driving surface quite a bit.

With the last part in sight, officials say the headaches that pounded as work crews pounded the pavement will all be worth it.

"The nice thing about this is once this is all done," he said. "We're gonna have two lanes in each direction—a four-lane road—some good division between the lanes, and traffic should move a whole lot smoother than it ever has."

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