Grass Valley Council selects downtown oblong roundabout with right‑in/right‑out at South Auburn

The Grass Valley City Council on a 3–2 vote approved a preferred design for the downtown roundabout, selecting Alternative 5 — an oblong roundabout with a right‑in/right‑out treatment at the South Auburn–Neil intersection — and directed staff to proceed with environmental clearance, further traffic validation, accessibility design and public outreach.

The decision came during a special meeting called to consider refinements to a roundabout design previously included in an intersection analysis adopted in 2020. City Engineer Bjorn Jones told the council the project is fully funded by an Active Transportation Program grant of about $5,300,000 and additional CMAQ funds, and that the funds are earmarked specifically for a roundabout at the triangle intersection. "We were awarded funding over 5,300,000 to fund the complete project," Jones said while summarizing the project history and current PAED (Project Approval and Environmental Documentation) phase. Staff said environmental clearance is expected to be required by September 2026 and that construction is currently forecast for 2028, though schedule risk remains.

Why it mattered: the downtown triangle involves seven closely spaced…