The Traffic Tangle
Gold Rush will add over 16,000 vehicle trips per day to Amador County's roads. The traffic experts agree that the traffic mitigation is inadequate.
Consider these traffic facts:
- The Amador County Transportation Commission stated that the RDEIR "documents the lack of reliable mitigation and that as a consequence, the project will contribute significantly to degradation of traffic conditions at 18 intersections and 18 roadway segments under cumulative conditions. ACTC staff believes that this information should support findings for denial of the Gold Rush Ranch and Golf Resort development project entitlements unless additional work is done to insure mitigation programs are put into place and design elements are added that will further reduce automobile travel."
- CalTrans stated that the traffic portion of the DEIR "has significant flaws to the
extent that it does not adequately fulfill CEQA requirements to document and disclose the Project
impacts. The revised/modified DEIR does not disclose numerous potential significant impacts."
CalTrans further recommended "that the City of Sutter Creek not Certify this EIR or
approve any additional entitlements for this project."
Read CalTrans' entire comment letter for details the flaws in the traffic analysis
- Gold Rush will pay for some, but not all, of the its traffic impacts. From the July 2009 Gold Rush Traffic Analysis, the estimated costs for the feasible road improvements that the Gold Rush project will impact come to approximately $45 million. However, Gold Rush, if paying “Fair Share”, will only contribute just a little over $2.8 million. This means that the roads won’t be improved, despite the increased numbers of cars on the roads.