THOMPSON PRESENTS $1.05 MILLION TO CITY
Project will connect I-5 and SR 113 via two connectors
Earlier this week, Congressman Mike Thompson, D-Yolo, presented the city of Woodland with a check for $1.05 million for the Interstate 5/State Route113 Connectors Project, as part of the East Main Street Neighborhood Livability Project.
According to a press release from Thompson's office, he secured the money in the government funding bill that was signed into law on March 9, 2024.
“By connecting I-5 and SR 113 in Woodland, the funding I secured will help to remove highway traffic from local roads and provide safer routes for bicyclists and pedestrians,” Thompson stated. “I am glad that Woodland leaders brought this project to my attention and I am proud I was able secure this funding in the government funding bill that President Biden signed into law. I look forward to seeing how this project will make our community safer and more sustainable.”
During the brief presentation on Monday morning outside of City Hall, located at 300 First St., Thompson was joined by Woodland City Manager Ken Hiatt, Mayor Tania Garcia Cadena, and Councilmember Tom Stallard.
“The Woodland City Council is grateful to have representatives who listen to our concerns and act on our behalf,” Garcia-Cadena stated. “Congressman Thompson's support for the I-5/113 connector project is greatly appreciated, and we look forward to seeing this project implemented.”
The funding secured by Thompson will assist in constructing two freeway-to-freeway connectors between northbound I-5 and southbound SR 113 and southbound I-5 and northbound SR 113 in Woodland.
Currently, I-5 traffic must exit the freeway and use city streets
to access SR 113. The project will help complete the only alternate east-west connection in the Sacramento region as congestion increases on the I-80 causeway, which is critically important for circulation, roadway safety, and emergency response.
Locally, the project will enhance safety for Woodland residents and visitors by removing interstate highway traffic from local roads and providing safe routes for bicyclists and pedestrians. The project mitigates greenhouse gas emissions locally and regionally, and will facilitate investment and revitalization in disadvantaged areas located in and near the existing infrastructure.
“The project is an unfinished business,” Stallard said. “It was supposed to be part of the original project in 1970, and it has gotten deferred, deferred and deferred.
Meanwhile, Woodland has grown, and the traffic congestion on East Main gets worse all the time, so we need a fix to move cars directly from 113 to I-5 without dumping them onto Main Street. They are expensive projects but the consequence of not having that is jamming East Main Street. The problem will only get worse as time goes on.”
According to the release, the project will also complete the region's only east-west overweight truck route. It will facilitate better access to regional commercial centers and the Sacramento International Airport.