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Sacramento County Marks Completion of Watt Avenue Complete Streets Project
On January 20, 2026, Sacramento County and local leaders gathered to celebrate the completion of construction work to improve connectivity and safety along North Watt Avenue. The $20 million Watt Avenue Complete Streets Project, which stretches from Roseville Road to I-80, includes a re-paved roadway, widened streets to add new bike lanes, and improved sidewalks and landscaping.
Watt Avenue is a key corridor in the North Highlands neighborhood, and the Complete Streets Project helps create more accessible connections for reaching jobs, stores, and nearby transit hubs.
Sacramento County Supervisor and SACOG Board Member Rich Desmond said, “This really is a testament to Sacramento County making improving our roadways a priority.”
To address the safety and mobility concerns, the County initiated the “Re-Imagine North Watt” plan to transform North Watt Avenue into a safer multimodal corridor. This mobility plan focuses on expanding transit services, improving bike and pedestrian facilities, and adding beautification elements to make the area more inviting and accessible. The future of North Watt Avenue will be a space where residents can easily access jobs, schools, retail, and open spaces. The project improved sidewalks, added new bike lanes, and upgraded pedestrian crossings and bike detection at intersections.
SACOG awarded the project $500,000 in Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds in 2018, and $19.8 million from the Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) and Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program (RSTG) in 2019. As a designated Green Zone, the project area was awarded $609,000 in Green Means Go funding, which focuses on accelerating infill development in existing corridors.
The County has planned for 7,200 residential units along the corridor, and through the land use plan update, aims to provide a range of housing types at densities that support transit through the redevelopment of vacant and underutilized sites along the corridor. This effort will ensure that all future residents will benefit from the infrastructure and transit enhancements and bolster existing businesses.