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Caltrans Work Leaves Windshields Chipped On Highway 50

FOLSOM (CBS13) — Drivers around the Sacramento region are outraged over construction along Highway 50.

Caltrans recently began a road resurfacing project between Sunrise Boulevard and the El Dorado County line. Drivers say the leftover debris has been cracking their windshields.

"It was like repeatedly like 'tick tick tick tick tick', exactly like that the entire time," said Elisia Saeteurn.

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She described the sound of rocks flying up into the windshield of her brand new Honda as she was heading to work on Highway 50, Tuesday. Aside from minor rock chips which Saeteurn had filled, her car made a pretty good recovery.

Her boyfriend's car, not so much.

"He got both of the cracks yesterday, and by the time he got to work one of the chips turned into a crack," Saeteurn added.

Saeteurn and her boyfriend are just two of many drivers around the region whose windshields have been damaged, driving along Highway 50 between Rancho Cordova and the El Dorado County line.

We wanted what the community was talking about and ended up with a windshield crack from Highway 50 construction debris.

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The rocks are coming from a project Caltrans just started along the Highway 50 corridor.

"They probably could have done a better job of getting the freeway swept up and cleaned up," said one driver whose windshield was chipped earlier in the week.

A spokesman for Caltrans says crews try to sweep up and hose down the roadway as much as possible.

In a phone interview, the spokesman added, "Whatever is missed or remains on the roadway is gonna be accentuated because we are opening traffic again to that lane, the faster the vehicles travel, the more the dust will get kicked up."

Drivers are outraged. Many of them shared their stories on social media, asking what can be done to help relieve the cost of replacing a windshield.

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For now, Saeteurn says she and her boyfriend plan to take the back roads, until they file a claim with CalTrans.

"After yesterday, we both have been taking the longer route which has been taking an extra 10 minutes, just so we don't get any more cracks in our window," she said.

You can file a claim on CalTrans' website to get reimbursed if your windshield was damaged driving along Highway 50 this week.

CalTrans says it expects to get about 30 complaints from the current project, which should wrap up by August. On Thursday, we found double that number complaining about windshield damage on social media.

While reporting on this story, a CBS13 news van got a chip on its windshield while driving the same stretch of freeway.

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