TUOLUMNE COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COUNCIL

The SR 49 / 108 Corridor links residents of the historic communities of Columbia, Sonora, Jamestown, and the Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians Tribal Lands to health care providers, employment, grocery stores, retail, education, parks, and other community services. This connection is vital for disadvantaged members of our community, a growing senior population, and students who are trying to access services. Unfortunately, existing conditions in the corridor only favorably accommodate those with personal vehicles. Those trying to access critical services through other means of transportation, especially via walking or biking, often find themselves having to risk their lives just to get somewhere. There are, currently, no existing bike facilities along SR 49 and very limited, inadequate pedestrian facilities. What facilities that do exist are usually non-ADA compliant, pavement is distressed, and there are multi-directional intersections and driveways that create additional discomfort for cyclists and pedestrians. This has resulted in the common practice seen today of pedestrians and cyclists using shoulders or being forced into travel lanes. It is not uncommon for vehicle-pedestrian and cyclist collisions to occur. The Caltrans SR 108/49 Multimodal Congested Corridor Plan included pedestrian counts collected near the Mother Lode Fairgrounds, within the project area, where over 10,000 pedestrians were counted in a single day. As part of the same study, Caltrans also noted that over 12% of the crashes along SR 49, within the proposed project route, involved a bike or pedestrian (Caltrans SR 108/49 Multimodal Congested Corridor Plan 2021). According to TIMS data, there have been 35 cyclist and pedestrian related crashes within the proposed Gold Rush Shared Use Path project area over the past 10yrs, with an average overall 23% increase in pedestrian crashes each year. The result of this need is the Gold Rush Shared Use Path. The project is a partnership between Tuolumne County Transportation Council, Tuolumne County, City of Sonora, Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians, and Blue Zones- Tuolumne County. When complete, the Gold Rush Shared Use Path will be a separated, Class 1, multi-modal facility stretching over 14 miles through Tuolumne County to continuously connect the Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians Tribal Lands, Jamestown, the City of Sonora, Columbia, and Columbia College. The intention of the project is for it to serve as the backbone of non-motorized transportation in our County and provide a safe way for residents and visitors to get around without a car. Over time, connector paths will attach to the Gold Rush Shared Use Path to provide a complete, easily accessible way to get around the county on foot or travel by bike. Among these planned connector paths is that of the Greenley Road Extension connection.