Double Crossed
City won’t prosper without 2 new bridges
By Jeff Harris
Photography by Linda Smolek
April 2025
Sacramento is defined by its rivers. For the city to function, it needs bridges over those rivers. Bridges stimulate economic development.
Look at Portland, another city with two great rivers. Twelve bridges cross the Willamette, with two more over the Columbia. Many are multimodal, with room for cars, trains, cyclists and pedestrians. Their connectivity brings growth and prosperity.
By comparison, Sacramento has only six bridges, including the Tower and I Street spans. The I Street crossing was built in 1911, when communication was by telegraph. By all accounts it needs replacement.
A third of Sacramentans live north of the American River. Options to get from city center to Natomas or North Sacramento are limited to Interstate 5, Highway 160 or Business 80.
None of those bridges are bike or pedestrian friendly. This is a connectivity problem separating people from commerce and health care unless they have a car and can brave a freeway with frequent slowdowns.
The City Council recently voted on the design of a proposed bridge to connect the River District to South Natomas at Truxel Boulevard. One of the first things I did as a councilmember 10 years ago was hold community meetings to determine a route for light rail to the airport.
Every great city has rail to its airport, right?
The solution was the Truxel bridge. It needs to get built. Ten years later, the council is still reviewing its design. Sadly, it will take another six years to get environmental clearances and two more to square away permits. This project might break ground in a decade.
By contrast, the proposed new I Street bridge is moving quickly. I sat on the committee to select the architect and final design with U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui, former Councilmember Steve Hansen and others six years ago.
We moved through the design phase and city staff kept the ball rolling.
It will be a beautiful, iconic structure, connecting West Sac to the Downtown Railyards, a great opportunity for economic development for both cities. Tourists will visit the bridge, like the Sundial in Redding.
Permits and environmental clearances should be secured this year. Funding remains a challenge. The bridge needs enhanced finances from Caltrans and support from the Sacramento Transit Authority. Being a replacement bridge makes it eligible for dollars new structures lack.
Matsui supports the project. Both city councils want the bridge built. Costs have risen since the pandemic, with Caltrans requiring a massive and expensive foundation upgrade. The Army Corps of Engineers has costly requirements for levee integrity. The budget stands at $300 million. If all goes well, work starts in 2026.
Why is it so hard to get these projects done?
Civic life got more complicated. Environmental rules from the 1970s presented choke points, inviting lawsuits to slow or stop construction projects.
A few years before passage of the California Environmental Quality Act in 1970, the interstate freeway system was nearly finished. The national highway network took about 10 years—bridges included.
Five decades later, we still need to cross rivers. I can’t wait to see the new I Street bridge completed.
Jeff Harris represented District 3 on City Council from 2014 to 2022. He can be reached at cadence@mycci.net. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento.
