Caltrans: utility permit from Union Pacific still pending for Borland–Highway 49 roundabout; rendering, pedestrian details promised

Caltrans project staff told the Auburn City Council that work on the Borland–Highway 49 roundabout cannot proceed until Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) issues a utility-relocation permit covering the railroad right-of-way that runs through the project area.

“We submitted that permit request to UPRR in February 2024,” Caltrans Project Manager Sean Chai said. “Once we receive that permit, it’ll probably take us about four months to complete the balance of the work and then get everything buttoned up.”

Why it matters: the roundabout is intended to change traffic patterns at Borland and Highway 49 and citizens pressed Caltrans and city staff for details on where sidewalks, crosswalks and bicycle access will be located and how traffic will move at nearby intersections. Caltrans said it will supply plans and, if available, a rendering that shows sidewalks, landscaping and pedestrian facilities.

Caltrans explained the delay is procedural: the railroad owns a strip of property where the new geometry and a sewer relocation will occur, so the…