Traffic study says arena can work with signal, lane and parking mitigations; residents remain skeptical

Wood Rogers presented a local traffic analysis covering 26 intersections and multiple event scenarios, including weekday peaks and full-project build out. "We started very early on with the city and the city's traffic team ... We had 26 intersections we looked at," traffic consultant Matt Spokely said, summarizing the scope. The study used a conservative modal split (80% private vehicles) and recommended mitigations including signal timing changes, new turn lanes, curb extensions, high-visibility crosswalks and bike facilities on Kilgore Road.

The applicant and traffic team emphasized event-specific management: distributed off-site parking agreements, human-directed wayfinding, coordination with Sacramento Regional Transit to extend service hours and fair-share payments for intersection improvements. Despite those measures, several residents and commissioners pressed the team about peak congestion at the Sunrise/Highway 50 interchange and the timing overlap with afternoon commute hours; the consultants said most arena arrivals for a 7 p.m. event occur after peak commute periods, reducing overlap.