SR 49 GV Wildfire Evacuation Route Project
Funding Awarded for Improvements on State Route 49
In December of 2023 the California Transportation Commission (CTC) approved $35 million in funding for the SR 49 Grass Valley Evacuation Route Project to widen Highway 49 between Ponderosa Pines Way and Wolf Road. The project will construct shoulders and a center two-way left turn lane to allow safer entering and exiting the highway and reduce wildfire evacuation times.
“Those of us living south of Grass Valley assume that during an evacuation once we reach Highway 49, we’ll be safe,” said District 2 Supervisor Ed Scofield, Chair of the Nevada County Transportation Commission. “This project will assure the ability to keep evacuation routes open and could certainly save lives.”
Construction will be paid for through $66.5 million in State Highway Operations and Protection Program funds committed by Caltrans District 3 and $35 million from the CTC's Local Transportation Climate Adaptation Program.
For more information, contact Mike Woodman, NCTC Executive Director, at mwoodman@nccn.net or (530) 265-3202.
NCTC contracted with videographer Jeff Litton to prepare this video highlighting the key concerns and documenting the importance of funding improvements in the Highway 49 corridor, to assist in our efforts to advocate for state and federal funding for the needed safety, evacuation, and operational improvements in the SR 49 corridor. This effort was done in coordination with the County of Nevada and key stakeholders including the Citizens for Highway 49 Safety, Fix49.org, Nevada County Coalition of Firewise Communities, CAL FIRE Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit, and the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.