Levee Improvement Work Begins in Lower Natomas Basin

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has announced that major levee improvement construction in the Lower Natomas Basin will require extended road closures on Garden Highway beginning July 8.

Construction crews are improving the levees surrounding the Natomas Basin, which in some locations includes installation of a seepage cutoff wall approximately 50 feet deep into center of the levee.

In the lower basin, Garden Highway sits atop the levee in some areas, which means the only way to construct levee improvements is to shut down the roadway.

This work will significantly disrupt traffic in the area. Sections of Garden Highway will be closed through this summer and fall, and additional shorter closures will be required in 2020.

“Though this work requires closures of Garden Highway, the City of Sacramento has a strategic traffic control plan and public information campaign in place to help minimize the inconvenience,” said Jeff Harris, Sacramento City Councilmember, whose district is affected by the project.

This work is part of the “American River Common Features – Natomas Basin” project authorized by Congress in 2014. It will ultimately reinforce 42 miles of levee surrounding the Natomas Basin in partnership with the State of California and the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency.

Levee improvements will continue for the next several years and may require additional road closures. The project is scheduled for completion in 2024.