Transportation in the Sacramento metropolitan area

Transportation in the Sacramento metropolitan area includes many ways people can travel around. The area covers four counties: El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo. These counties all work together to make up the bigger Sacramento metropolitan area.

There are many ways to get around, from cars and buses to trains and other services. This helps millions of people move for work, school, fun, and more every day. The different travel options make it easier for everyone to reach the places they need to go.

Background

Most people in the Sacramento area travel by car. Many drive alone, while some share a ride using special carpool lanes to make the trip faster. A smaller number of workers stay home and do their jobs online. For the rest, ways to get around include buses, bikes, walking, motorcycles, and other options.

Roads and highways

Major freeways

Interstate 5 (I-5)

See also: Interstate 5 in California

Interstate 5 (I-5) is a major highway running north to south through the Sacramento area. It connects to places like Stockton, Los Angeles, and San Diego to the south, and Redding, Portland, and Seattle to the north.

Interstate 80 (I-80)

See also: Interstate 80 in California

Interstate 80 (I-80) runs east to west through the Sacramento area. It links to Fairfield, Oakland, and San Francisco to the west, and Reno, Salt Lake City, and Omaha to the east.

U.S. Route 50 (US 50)

See also: U.S. Route 50 in California

U.S. Route 50 (US 50) is an east-west highway that starts in West Sacramento and goes to places like South Lake Tahoe, Kansas City, and Washington, D.C.

California State Route 99 (SR 99)

See also: California State Route 99

California State Route 99 (SR 99) is a north-south highway that serves cities like Stockton, Modesto, and Fresno to the south, and Yuba City and Chico to the north.

Business Loop 80 (Bus. 80)

Main article: Interstate 80 Business (Sacramento, California)

Business Loop 80 (Bus. 80) is a smaller highway that connects to major roads in Sacramento, running through areas like Midtown and East Sacramento.

Other highways

Several planned freeways from the 1960s were not built due to local opposition.

California State Route 16 (SR 16)

Main article: California State Route 16

California State Route 16 (SR 16) runs east-west from near Wilbur Springs to between Plymouth and Drytown, passing through small communities.

California State Route 65 (SR 65)

Main article: California State Route 65

California State Route 65 (SR 65) runs between Roseville and Olivehurst, starting as a freeway and changing to an expressway.

California State Route 84 (SR 84)

Main article: California State Route 84

California State Route 84 (SR 84) is a north-south highway running from Rio Vista to West Sacramento.

California State Route 113 (SR 113)

Main article: California State Route 113

California State Route 113 (SR 113) is a highway connecting I-80 near UC Davis to I-5 in Woodland.

California State Route 160 (SR 160)

Main article: California State Route 160

California State Route 160 (SR 160) runs north-south from Antioch to North Sacramento, passing through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

California State Route 275 (SR 275)

Main article: California State Route 275

California State Route 275 (SR 275) is a short highway that connects US 50 in West Sacramento to Downtown Sacramento.

Rail

See also: Amtrak and Amtrak California

The main way people travel between cities in the Sacramento metropolitan area by train is with Amtrak. Amtrak has six stations and four routes, letting locals go north, south, east, or west to places all over California and even further.

SacRT light rail

Main article: SacRT light rail

Further information: List of SacRT light rail stations

The Sacramento Regional Transit District runs light rail trains in Sacramento and nearby places. This SacRT light rail system has three lines and 54 stations. All lines stop in or pass through Downtown Sacramento, the main busy part of Sacramento. Light rail is a good choice for people going to downtown instead of driving. Most stations have free parking, except for the one at Cosumnes River College station, which is run by the college. About 14 million people use the system each year.

The three lines are:

• Blue Line - runs north–south from Cosumnes River College to Watt/I-80. It goes through South Sacramento, Sacramento City College, Downtown Sacramento, North Sacramento, and North Highlands. Part of it is in the middle of Interstate 80.
• Gold Line - runs east–west from Sacramento Valley Station to either Sunrise or Historic Folsom. It passes Downtown Sacramento, Midtown Sacramento, East Sacramento, Sacramento State University, Rancho Cordova, and Gold River. Most of the track is next to US 50 and Folsom Boulevard
• Green Line - a short line from 13th Street to 7th & Richards/Township 9. It runs fewer hours and has bigger gaps between trains than the other lines, and does not run on weekends. Plans exist to extend it to Natomas and the Sacramento International Airport.

Blue and Gold Line trains run from 4:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Sunday. Trains come every 15 minutes on weekdays until evening, and every 30 minutes at night and on weekends.

The Green Line runs from 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, with trains every 30 minutes. It does not run on weekends.

Freight

Most freight trains in Sacramento are run by the Union Pacific Railroad. In one part of Midtown Sacramento, 5 to 10 freight trains go by each day. Sacramento is an important spot where train lines from east-west and north-south meet, linking San Francisco to Chicago, and San Diego to Seattle.

Bus

Intercity bus services

Greyhound provides bus service between two spots in the Sacramento area: Sacramento Bus Station and the Roseville Bus Stop. Megabus runs buses between University/65th Street station in Sacramento and 4th and King Street station in San Francisco. There can be up to five trips each day.

RT Bus

Further information: Sacramento Regional Transit District § Bus service

See also: List of SacRT bus routes

The Sacramento Regional Transit District runs local buses all around the City of Sacramento and nearby areas from early morning until late at night. There are 70 bus routes with over 3,100 stops. Since the light rail started, most buses now help people get to the light rail stops. Buses come by every 15 to 80 minutes. Some routes only run on weekdays or during busy times.

Other local bus agencies

• E-tran is the bus service for Elk Grove. It has local routes, trips to and from Downtown Sacramento, and one special trip back to Downtown Sacramento. It also goes to the Butterfield station and the Franchise Tax Board.

• Yolobus serves Yolo County, mainly West Sacramento, Davis, and Woodland. It also goes to Downtown Sacramento and the Sacramento International Airport. Yolobus is the only public bus that regularly goes to the airport.

• Unitrans is the bus system for UC Davis. It takes students and teachers around Davis and the campus.

• Roseville Transit serves Roseville, a suburb of Sacramento. It has 14 local routes and eight trips each weekday to Downtown Sacramento.

• Placer County Transit serves parts of Placer County outside of Roseville. It goes to Alta, Auburn, Colfax, Lincoln, Rocklin, and Sierra College. From Auburn, it also goes to the Watt/I-80 station and Downtown Sacramento.

• El Dorado Transit serves El Dorado County, including Cameron Park, Diamond Springs, Placerville, and Pollock Pines. It has trips to Downtown Sacramento, some trips back from Downtown Sacramento, and goes to the Iron Point station and Folsom Lake College.

Commuter buses from outside the region

These bus services are based outside the Sacramento area but run trips to Downtown Sacramento on weekdays.

• Yuba-Sutter Transit - from Yuba City, Marysville, Olivehurst, Plumas Lake
• Amador Transit - from Sutter Creek/Sutter Hill/Jackson, Drytown, Rancho Murieta
• San Joaquin Regional Transit District - from Stockton, Lodi

Air

Sacramento International Airport (SMF)

Main article: Sacramento International Airport

Sacramento International Airport (SMF) is the main airport for the area. It is located about 10 miles northwest of Downtown Sacramento and is managed by the Sacramento County Airport system. Many travelers use Southwest Airlines, which carries about half of the airport’s passengers. From SMF, travelers can fly directly to many big cities in the contiguous United States, as well as to Mexico, Vancouver, and Hawaii. For flights to faraway places, especially in Asia, many people choose to travel from the very busy San Francisco International Airport instead.

SMF has two long runways that run north to south, which is helpful because of the usual wind patterns in the area. The airport has two terminals: Terminal A and Terminal B. Terminal A has 13 gates and is used by airlines like Air Canada, American, Delta, and United. Terminal B has 19 gates and is used by airlines such as Aeroméxico, Alaska, Frontier, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, and Volaris.

Other airports

The Sacramento area has many smaller airports used for different purposes, such as private planes, small charter flights, cargo flights, and military planes. Some of these airports include:

• Auburn Municipal Airport
• Blue Canyon–Nyack Airport
• Borges–Clarksburg Airport
• Cameron Airpark
• Elk Grove Airport
• Franklin Field
• Georgetown Airport
• Lake Tahoe Airport
• Lincoln Regional Airport
• Placerville Airport
• Rancho Murieta Airport
• Sacramento Executive Airport
• Sacramento Mather Airport
• Sacramento McClellan Airport
• Swansboro Country Airport
• Truckee Tahoe Airport
• University Airport
• Yolo County Airport

Marine

Sacramento handles some of its goods by ship through the Port of Sacramento in West Sacramento and the Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel.

The Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel is a manmade canal used to move goods to and from the Port of Oakland. Most of the items shipped are farming products and large loads, not container shipments.

Cycling

In Sacramento, riding bikes is a popular way to get around, especially in the central parts of the city like Downtown and Midtown. Many streets there have special wide bike lanes, some even painted bright green, to keep cyclists safe.

There are also many bike trails in the area, such as the Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail that runs along the American River. This trail is 32 miles long and only for bikes and pedestrians. In Davis, another town nearby, a lot of people also ride bikes to work, more than almost anywhere else in the country. Jump Bikes offers a bicycle-sharing service in both Sacramento and Davis.

Notable bridges

Here are some important bridges that are either completely inside the Sacramento metropolitan area or connect to it from nearby areas.

Transportation museums

The Sacramento metropolitan area has several museums that focus on transportation. These include the Aerospace Museum of California in North Highlands, the California Automobile Museum in Sacramento, the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, Reiff's Antique Gas Station Automotive Museum in Woodland, the Tahoe Maritime Museum in Lake Tahoe, and the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame in Davis.