Grass Valley council opts for right‑in/right‑out downtown roundabout layout, rejects closing southbound leg

City Engineer Bjorn Jones presented the council with the latest configuration options for the Downtown Grass Valley roundabout on Feb. 24, saying the project is fully grant‑funded and currently in the project‑approval and environmental‑document (PAED) phase. Jones told council members and the public the overall project budget is $6,800,000 and that consultant GHD had assessed several layout alternatives, including a right‑in/right‑out treatment and a one‑way (northbound) option for the South Auburn leg.

Jones summarized pros and cons: the one‑way option could add roughly eight parking spaces and would eliminate some driver confusion but would also reduce circulation and restrict access to several parking lots; the right‑in/right‑out alternative avoids those access constraints and is simpler for project delivery. Jones said traffic modeling through build conditions to 2050 showed both options would perform acceptably, though the right‑in/right‑out option produced slightly more queueing in some peak scenarios.

More than 30 members of the public weighed in during the roundabout segment. Downtown business leaders and the Greater Grass Valley Chamber urged preserving access and parking for merchants; several residents and engineers urged caution on evacuation and life‑safety concerns. Mark Dimartini, a civil engineer, said the right‑in/right‑out geometry "introduces a geometric kink in our primary North‑South evacuation artery" and cited California Senate Bill 99 in arguing the city should protect evacuation routes. Bjorn Jones and other staff responded that the consultants’ analysis projects acceptable operations to 2050, described signage and GPS‑update strategies to direct out‑of‑town drivers, and said some roundabout curbs could be mountable for emergency vehicles if needed.

Council members debated a future mini‑roundabout or additional treatments (Jones gave a rough estimate of about $1,000,000 for a mini roundabout) and discussed construction timing and nighttime work to limit downtown impacts. After deliberation, a council motion to approve concept 5 (the right‑in/right‑out layout with mandatory right‑turn requirement from South Auburn to Neil and additional parking configuration) was made and passed; one council member opposed the motion.

Council directed staff to proceed with the selected configuration within the PAED and final design phases and to continue outreach with downtown merchants on signage and access during construction.