Mockup
Rendering of future improvements to the Hutchison Road / Highway 113 interchange. Note the addition of improved options for biking and walking along both the north and south sides of Hutchison.

Construction to Improve Sustainable Commute Options from West Campus Begins this Summer

Quick Summary

  • Thousands of more students will reside on west campus with the completion of West Village student housing.
  • This summer construction begins to improve the Hutchison Drive / Highway 113 interchange.
  • Improvements focus on ease of use for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers alike.
  • Construction takes place in three phases. Detours will be in place for phase two and three and include one lane of traffic remaining open at all times.

As West Village continues to expand, the university is hard at work to connect residents with access to core campus, academic facilities, recreational amenities and downtown Davis. This summer, contractors break ground on a project to improve the Hutchison Drive/Highway 113 interchange with new bike lanes, sidewalks, traffic lights and ramps.

 “The Green—a nearly completed West Village expansion — is the largest student housing project the university has ever undertaken,” said Matt Dulcich, director of environmental planning for UC Davis. “When completed this fall, it will add space for 3,300 more residents.”

More residents means more pedestrians and bicyclists crossing Highway 113 using the pedestrian bridge, the Russell Boulevard overpass and the Hutchison Drive overpass — the largest of the three connection routes.

“Our main goal for the Hutchison Drive Improvement Project is user ease and convenience,” said Maryanne Ranasinghe, DCM project manager. “We want to make this crossing very friendly for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers.”

As part of the improvements, new sidewalks and bike lanes will be added to both sides of the overpass on Hutchison Drive, including a 14-foot, two-way bike lane. (See rendering shown here.)

The project will also add traffic signals and marked crosswalks at the Highway 113 on-ramps and off-ramps.

 “The traffic signals will create more controlled turning movements, and increase the appeal for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers alike.” Ranasinghe said.

 

comparison of hutchison interchange
Before and after aerial overview shows the changes that will be made to the Hutchison Drive interchange, including ramps that will be removed (indicated with X's) or straightened and traffic signals that will be added (indicated with circles).

Highway 113 on-ramps and off-ramps will be “squared up” to align with the new signals. The clover-shaped onramps will be straightened out to intersect with the overpass at a right angle, improving sight lines and aligning with the added traffic signals. The diagonal northbound and southbound onramps will be removed altogether.

These improvements follow a traffic projection and analysis completed as part of the 2018 Long Range Development Plan Environmental Impact Report.

“As our campus community grows and traffic of all kinds increases, we have to adapt our infrastructure to support it and encourage sustainable commuting options,” Dulcich said.

“Making it more convenient for residents to get from their homes to the rest of campus and to downtown Davis will help them engage while enriching our campus community and the City of Davis in the process.”  

Construction breaks down into three phases. Throughout construction, at least one lane of traffic in each direction will be open. Below are projected construction timeframes and detour information for each phase of construction. For up-to-date information, check the DCM road closures page as construction approaches.

Three Phases of Construction

Phase 1: Median reconstruction (August – October 2021)
  • The existing 16-foot median will be reduced to 11-feet to accommodate two left-turn lanes from Hutchison Drive to Hwy 113 on-ramps on both sides. Reconstruction will stretch from the West Village roundabout to Health Sciences Drive.

  • No detours will be required. 

Phase 2: North Side of Hutchison Drive (November 2021 – March 2022)

During this phase of construction, a six-foot sidewalk and the 14-foot, two-way cycle track will be constructed and the diagonal northbound Hwy 113 on-ramp will be removed.

Closures

  • Westbound Hutchison Drive will be limited to one-lane. The sidewalk will be closed, while the bike lane will remain open.
  • Both Hwy 113 on-ramps on the north side of the interchange will be closed

Detours

Westbound traffic intending to head north or south on Highway 113 will need to take the first roundabout at West Village to use the south-side ramps.

See road closures and detours in the map below.
Phase 3 South-side of Hutchison: (April - June 2022)

As part of Phase 3, the southern five-foot sidewalk and the 6-foot bike lane will be constructed. North-side of Hutchison Drive will be open during this phase including the new southbound on-ramp and southbound off-ramp from Hwy 113. The diagonal south bound on-ramp will removed.

Closures

  • One eastbound lane on the south-side of Hutchison Drive will be closed
  • The northbound Hwy 113 off-ramp for Hutchison Drive will be closed.
  • Both the northbound and southbound on-ramps on the south-side of the Hutchison Drive interchange will be closed

Detours

  • Traffic on Highway 113 heading north from I-80 will need to exit at Old Davis Road or Russell Boulevard to reach campus.
  • Campus traffic looking to head north on Highway 113 will need to use the Russell Boulevard on-ramp
  • Eastbound traffic on Hutchison Drive will need to do a U-turn at intersection of La Rue Road/Hutchison Drive to access the north-side ramps to Hwy 113.

 

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