While the opening weeks of the Caltrans Fix 50 highway project created minimal seven to 10 minute delays, Sacramento State students are cautioned to prepare during Phase 2 construction.

Starting May 7, Caltrans intends to close Hornet Drive from Folsom Boulevard as part of an advertised path for Eastbound 50 commuters needing a detour to Southbound 99.

Tony Lucas, senior director of University Transportation and Parking Services, said Caltrans does not want the additional traffic of drivers, and the detour will help limit the traffic flow.

“This will obviously have an impact and effect on Sac State,” Lucas said. “Expect delay times from that area to increase.”

Sac State commuters will be asked to go northbound on Howe taking the La Riviera exit to College Town in hopes of limiting the impact.

Caltrans and Lucas continue to encourage affected motorists to use Regional Transit during construction. The city of Sacramento has been responding to that suggestion effectively so far, according to numbers provided by Sacramento Regional Transit District spokesperson Alane Masui.

Masui said the park-and-ride lot usage for the Light Rail increased by 48 percent on the opening day of Fix 50 compared to the same day a week before with an additional 1,368 parked cars recorded.

According to the Office of Institutional Research, 95 percent of undergraduate students live off campus.

Brianna Taylor, a sophomore biology major, said she is no stranger to poorly maintained roads and does not understand the need for the construction. Yet, the project has already caused her to find an alternate route to school.

“Now I just get off on Florin Road,” Taylor said. “That way I don’t have to deal with the possible horrible traffic.”

Lucas said there has been a mild increase in the amount of students who are taking advantage of transportation alternatives, including ridership usage for shuttle and Light Rail, and is glad some people are trying new things.

However, he also said a majority of Sac State commuters are not affected enough by the delay to generate a change in their normal driving patterns.

“I suspect a lot of commuters are irritated, but not enough to make a radical change,” Lucas said.

Overall, Lucas said Fix 50 is progressing on schedule and so far, the combined efforts of the organizations involved have led to students making well-informed decisions.