The Port of Sacramento handled over one million short tons of cargo in fiscal year 1997. The Port participated in the construction of a bridge to the South Port area of West Sacramento, opening over 280 acres to industrial and commercial development. Union Pacific and Southern Pacific railroads have lines transecting Placer County. The 1996 merger of the Union Pacific with the Southern Pacific gives Placer County access to Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. The largest railroad switchyard west of the Mississippi is located in Roseville, in South Placer County.
Placer County has easy access to four major freeways intersecting in Sacramento.
The freeways offer direct routes to the East Coast, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Reno, and Seattle. As a transportation hub, the Greater Sacramento Area provides an excellent center for freight distribution. Chapter on Transportation Resources and Utilities Placer County benefits from abundant natural resources. Low utility rates are due in part to the quantity of water snow melt originating in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Natural gas is also provided by Southwest Gas in the North Lake Tahoe area.