Five New ‘Welcome to the Delta NHA’ Signs Go Up
This sign on northbound Interstate 5 in Lathrop is one of five installed recently by Caltrans. (Photo courtesy of Caltrans)
SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY, Calif. (Dec. 27, 2024) – Caltrans District 10 has installed five more “Welcome to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area” signs at key entrances to the Delta.
“We’re grateful to Caltrans for this effort, and pleased to help expand motorists’ awareness of the Delta’s importance and national significance,” said Bruce Blodgett, executive director of the Delta Protection Commission. The Commission coordinates the National Heritage Area, California’s first and only NHA.
The sign locations, shown in a map below, are located on:
- Westbound West Walnut Grove Road at Interstate 5
- Westbound Highway 12 west of Lodi
- Westbound Highway 4 west of Stockton
- Northbound I-5 in Lathrop
- Eastbound Interstate 205 west of I-5 in Tracy
Signs are planned for at least three more new locations (Twin Cities Road west of I-5, Highway 12 at Highway 160, and Highway 4 in Pittsburg). And one sign at the entrance to the eastbound Yolo Causeway on Interstate 80 needs to be replaced.
San Joaquin County Supervisor Tom Patti, a member of the Delta Protection Commission, said, “We are excited to see the Delta get the recognition it deserves. It truly is a special place. We hope the signs will lead more people to explore and enjoy what the region has to offer.”
Ram Bommavaram, Safe System Lead for Caltrans District 10, said his District’s portion of this process was initiated by Dennis Agar, the now-retired District 10 Director who also served on the Delta Protection Commission. Once the plan was in place, the District was able to compress a typical seven-month process into two months, culminating in the installation of the signs in mid-December.
Hood Community Council Chairman Mario Moreno in 2023 in front of a new sign welcoming motorists to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area (PHOTO © Mario Moreno 2023 – used with permission)
Delta residents have shown strong interest in the signs. “It just acknowledges what we’ve known, that the Delta is special place and it deserves recognition,” Mario Moreno, chair of the Hood Community Council, said last year after a sign was installed on Hood Franklin Road. “It’s beautiful, and it should be treasured and taken care of.”
Knowing how much the signs mean to Delta communities is very satisfying, Bommavaram said. “We’re glad the work was done, and we’re glad it’s recognized.”
The Delta Protection Commission’s 2012 Economic Sustainability Plan identified a need for more signage in the Delta, noting that the Delta economy generally, and recreation and tourism specifically, suffer from a lack of branding and marketing.
The welcome signs are a true joint effort, led by the Delta Protection Commission but conceived and carried out in partnership with:
- The Delta Stewardship Council
- The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy
- The California Conservation Corps (which installed the first three signs)
- Yolo County Public Works (which replaced a sign on Jefferson Boulevard outside of West Sacramento after it was destroyed in a non-injury accident)
- Caltrans districts 3, 4 and 10
- California Prison Industry, which made the signs
Map: Click on pins to see details and photos of installed signs. Click on the expand icon in the upper right corner to see a full-screen version.