Amador County - Caltrans has certified a 9.8-mile segment of State Route 49 (SR-49), from SR-88 to SR-16, as a Surface Transportation Assistance Act (STAA) highway. The designation means the roadway is open to wider trucks that previously had to travel longer routes to reach their destinations.

Caltrans conducted a field review to assure that recent road improvements would accommodate the STAA trucks, before recommending the installation of signs. These commercial trucks are 8 feet 6 inches wide, compared with the federal maximum of 8 feet prior to the passage of the STAA in 1982.

Eastbound STAA trucks on SR-16 and SR-88 could go no further than the SR-49 intersection prior to the improvements, but now this stretch of SR-49 is a connecting route for the two highways. The Amador County Transportation Commission said the increased access will encourage economic development.

Caltrans' completion of the Sutter Creek Bypass in 2007 - intended to increase mobility, reduce pollution and improve the quality of life in the region - had a role in opening SR-49 to larger trucks. It eliminated the narrow roads and S-shaped turns that had restricted truck access, re-directing traffic off of city streets and onto the four-mile expressway.

Prior to the Bypass, SR-49 cut through Sutter Creek and Amador City. The two-lane highway, much of it less than 25 feet wide with gravel shoulders, was often congested during commute and holiday periods. The current highway is 40 feet wide in all but a few segments, and features paved shoulders, helping it accommodate the wider trucks that were approved as part of the STAA legislation.

Caltrans recently completed improvements to the intersection of SR-49 and SR-16 including cutting back the raised median and adding shoulder width.  These improvements were critical in meeting STAA standards.

With 12 feet of available pavement each direction, and the roadway now providing an additional 2 feet to 10 feet of shoulder, it is suitable for STAA trucks. Previously, signs alerted truckers that tractor-semis over 30 feet kingpin-to-rear axle (KPRA) were not advised the "next 8 miles" on northbound SR-49 and tractor-semis over 34 feet KPRA were not advised the "next 4 miles" on southbound SR-49.