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State and local leaders came together last week to celebrate the completion of the Highway 84-Interstate 680 interchange upgrades in Sunol, lauding the years-long investment to improve commute and safety conditions through the Tri-Valley for the following decades.
The nearly $244 million project, which first started more than 10 years ago, represented the final step in bringing the state’s Highway 84 up to expressway standards between I-580 in Livermore and I-680 in Sunol – “strengthening connectivity for commuters, freight, and regional travelers”, Caltrans officials said.
Caltrans District 4 Acting Director David Abuehl called the project “a tremendous investment in regional mobility and safety” in a press release issued after the Nov. 17 ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“This corridor is a vital link between the Tri-Valley and the South Bay, and through strong collaboration with our partners, we’ve delivered a safer, more efficient route that will serve travelers and communities for decades to come,” Abuehl added.
Pleasanton Mayor Jack Balch, who attended last week’s ceremony, told the Weekly that the 84-680 interchange “represents something deeply meaningful for Pleasanton and the Tri-Valley”.
“Growing up here, Highway 84 was always a concern as our region grew and traffic volumes increased. My first-grade teacher from Sunol Glen survived a head-on collision near Pigeon Pass back when it was still a two-lane winding road,” Balch said.
“Seeing these improvements completed is gratifying,” he added. “As someone who has driven the corridor many times before, during, and now after construction, the improvements are noticeable and appreciated.”
Balch credited Alameda County voters for supporting transportation infrastructure by passing the Measure B and Measure BB sales taxes, as well as the efforts of all public agencies and private contractors involved in this project and the longstanding advocacy of late former Pleasanton mayor Jerry Thorne in championing Highway 84 improvements from the beginning.
“As Mayor Thorne knew, the upgrades deliver real benefits of safer travel, reduced cut-through traffic in Pleasanton neighborhoods, more reliable drive times, and stronger regional connectivity. These are quality-of-life improvements,” Balch said.
Key aspects of the interchange project in Sunol included finishing the widening of Highway 84 into a four-lane expressway and reconstructing and realigning the ramps connecting the state highway and the federal freeway, including adding a new flyover ramp from Calaveras Road to northbound I-680.
The project also featured extending the southbound I-680 toll express lane by approximately two miles, constructing new frontage roads to consolidate local access, and providing new bikeways for multimodal connectivity, Caltrans noted.
Beyond the literal improvements on the ground in Sunol, stakeholders hope the project will alleviate congestion on the two freeways in the Tri-Valley and reduce cut-through commuters on city streets and county roads. Opening up Highway 84 as an expressway also aims to enhance regional travel between San Joaquin County and Silicon Valley.
Funded through local, state and regional sources, the interchange project included $122 million from Measure BB, $1 million from Measure B, $85 million from Regional Measure 3, $11 million from the State Transportation Improvement Program, $8.6 million from Senate Bill 1, $14.9 million from the Tri-Valley Transportation Council and $1.3 million from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, officials said.
Environmental work spanned from spring 2015 to summer 2018, final design and right-of-way acquisition ran from 2018 to 2020, and construction lasted from spring 2021 until this fall, according to the Alameda County Transportation Commission, which oversaw the project.
“Many of my constituents drive this road several times each day, so I know this project strengthens ties between some of the fastest-growing communities in the East Bay and helps drive economic vibrancy as well as safety and mobility for all,” said David Haubert, president of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors chair of Alameda CTC.
Livermore Vice Mayor Evan Branning, who was also at the ribbon-cutting last week, told the Weekly, “I’m very excited for this upgrade to be completed. It will greatly ease the connection to Livermore from the south and provide a great opportunity for our friends to visit our wineries, downtown and events, and ease the commutes of everyone using Highway 84.”
Congratulations on finishing this major project in our valley. Now if they could focus on the congestion issue with the 84-580 interchange. Most of the time I experience 5 minute delays in getting on the freeway due to congestion.