The City of Elk Grove partnered with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) on the recently completed State Route 99 Northbound Auxiliary Lanes from Elk Grove Blvd to Calvine Rd Project. The goals of the project are to reduce traffic congestion and enhance traffic flow by adding auxiliary lanes on northbound State Route 99 between: 

• Elk Grove Blvd and Laguna Blvd/Bond Rd 
• Laguna Blvd/Bond Rd and Sheldon Road 
• Sheldon Rd and Calvine Rd 

An auxiliary lane connects a freeway on-ramp to the subsequent freeway off-ramp; this becomes an “exit only” lane at the downstream off-ramp. Auxiliary lanes allow traffic to adjust to the proper speed in a designated area before merging into or out of the main traffic lanes and provides for easy access between adjacent interchanges without the need to enter mainline traffic. 

The proper use of auxiliary lanes reduces traffic congestion and increases safety by reducing weaving of traffic and the number of conflicts between slow and higher speed vehicles. When entering a freeway, drivers use the on-ramp and auxiliary lane to accelerate to the proper speed, matching the flow of traffic, before merging with mainline traffic. Similarly, when exiting the freeway, drivers merge into the auxiliary lane and then reduce their speed to safely exit the freeway.