Elk Grove commuters enjoying the now open roundabout at Sheldon & Waterman

Today was a win one, lose one day for the drivers around Elk Grove’s east side with the opening of one roadway and the closing of another.

The monthlong closure of the Waterman/Sheldon intersection has ended with the opening of the much anticipated roundabout. While the city has many other roundabouts, this one will be the most heavily used intersection that features a roundabout. The intersection has long been a traffic jam for morning and afternoon commuters with only a 4 way stop sign. The roundabout will help speed up the flow of traffic during heavy commute times. There will be a learning curve for those not familiar with traffic circles. The City of Elk Grove shared a video demonstrating how to use them.

Earlier this morning we took an aerial video of the Sheldon/Waterman intersection after it reopened.

The bad news for local residents is the closing of Elk Grove-Florin Road, between Bond Road and Sheldon to allow Union Pacific to repair the railroad crossing. The road will be closed 24/7 to all traffic including pedestrians and bikers from August 8-12. That will be followed by the closure of Bond Road for railroad crossing repairs August 15-19.