Alameda County Transportation Commission (CTC), in conjunction with Caltrans, has awarded a $107 million construction contract for the Interstate 680 Sunol Northbound Express Lane project.
The contract, awarded to Concord based Bay Cities Paving & Grading, is for the first phase of a two-phase project that will add a northbound carpool/express lane on I-680 from south of Highway 237 to north of Highway 84, a total of 15 miles. Construction is expected to begin early next year.
"Alameda CTC is keeping its pledge to residents and businesses throughout Alameda County by delivering critical transportation improvements and supporting local jobs with funding from the approval of sales tax Measures B and BB," said Arthur L. Dao, executive director of Alameda CTC. "It is not every day that more than $100 million in local construction work hits the street."
The first phase will widen the existing northbound I-680 freeway and construct a nine-mile express lane between Auto Mall Parkway and Highway 84. It will also modify the adjacent southbound I-680 Sunol express lane, changing the access configuration to allow drivers to enter the lane more freely, similar to the configuration of the Tri-Valley's I-580 express lane corridor.
This new project is the next in a series of Tri-Valley express lanes that have been created in recent years. The I-680 Sunol southbound express lane was the first express lane in the Bay Area, opening in 2010.
Continuing with their express lane push, in 2016, Alameda CTC opened the east- and westbound I-580 express lanes and in October the Metropolitan Transportation Commission opened the I-680 Contra Costa express lanes through the San Ramon Valley.
Comments
Parkside
on Nov 28, 2017 at 9:46 am
on Nov 28, 2017 at 9:46 am
just build a lane and dont soak us anymore. This 15mile section cannot afford any issue or land closures during construction
Registered user
Del Prado
on Nov 28, 2017 at 10:25 am
Registered user
on Nov 28, 2017 at 10:25 am
This should have happened 20 years ago, but heavy lobbying by South Bay business owners convinced Scott Haggerty and Cal Trans to reverse the direction. The thought was it was important to get employees to work in the morning, but who cares how long it takes for them to get home.
Castlewood
on Nov 28, 2017 at 11:23 am
on Nov 28, 2017 at 11:23 am
Just open all 4 lanes. No tolls, no HOV/carpool. Traffic will flow just fine. This is another ploy to fleece us even more and to get us out of our cars. Northbound 680 traffic density has worsened since they opened up the toll lanes. It essentially resulted in taking a lane away. It would be laughable if it weren't so frustrating.
Sycamore Heights
on Nov 28, 2017 at 12:30 pm
on Nov 28, 2017 at 12:30 pm
Are they going to widen the highway or, as they did with I-680 further north and I-580, just take a lane we already paid for and charge us to continue to use it?
Downtown
on Nov 28, 2017 at 12:56 pm
on Nov 28, 2017 at 12:56 pm
Steve M
They are just going to take a lane away from us. The same as they did on 580 west and 680 north. They cannot make money on carpool lanes so we are going to be charged to use a lane we have already paid for.
Birdland
on Nov 28, 2017 at 4:20 pm
on Nov 28, 2017 at 4:20 pm
When will Caltran & Alameda County announce a plan to address the outdated inadequate interchange of 580 westbound/680 southbound? Almost all hours of the day and night of 580 westbound to 680 southbound isn't backed up to Hacienda. That plan is years overdue.
Pleasanton Meadows
on Nov 28, 2017 at 6:53 pm
on Nov 28, 2017 at 6:53 pm
Jesus, read the article - they are adding a lane between 84 and automall.
$111M for paint....come on
Registered user
Pleasanton Valley
on Nov 29, 2017 at 12:15 am
Registered user
on Nov 29, 2017 at 12:15 am
Having a hard time controlling my cynicism. Every single day for the last 7 years I've sat in that back-up and wondered why, why, why they didn't do both northbound and southbound at the same time? For a state that purports itself as a leader in climate change and environmental issues to have that back-up, Monday through Saturday is an absolute joke. Honestly, Mr. Dao, your PR statement looks good on paper but the reality is that there has been gross incompetence and incredibly poor decision making to have allowed this to go on as long as it has. The hours that tens of thousands have wasted everyday for years, the pollution that has been pushed into the environment is unconscionable. My only request at this point is get it done quickly and with as little inconvenience to us as possible.
Castlewood
on Nov 29, 2017 at 9:47 am
on Nov 29, 2017 at 9:47 am
I like to refer to the express lanes as the "cha-ching' lanes...created not so much to improve traffic flow but to gain any additional revenues our broke State of California can grab.
I agree with TMax...when is the horrible W580/S680 interchange going to be addressed? Thank goodness I don't deal with the commute in that direction. The safety issues alone with the amount of accidents that take place in that very short sector between traveling south at Hacienda and exiting 580 to 680 southbound. Surprised no one has pushed the traffic safety issue here.
Val Vista
on Nov 29, 2017 at 3:08 pm
on Nov 29, 2017 at 3:08 pm
Please someone prove me wrong, but from what I can tell the traffic won't improve until both phases are completed.
They'll start with phase one first and phase two will follow??? The trouble is, phase one alone won't fix anything since they're only widening from Automall to 84. If you've been in that nightmare of a 680 north commute, you would have noticed that the bottleneck starts at south mission (one exit prior to Automall). Why could they not expand phase one to south mission?
Also Phase 1 won't be done until Spring 2020, so does that mean they won't start phase 2 until then? Then wait another few years.
Geez, Dublin will double in size when all is said and done.
Registered user
Walnut Grove Elementary School
on Nov 30, 2017 at 10:39 am
Registered user
on Nov 30, 2017 at 10:39 am
@Phase 1: Not only will Dublin double in size, Pleasanton will add another 5,000 dwellings making another 10,000 commuters.
Everyone who likes this traffic, please vote to repeal the gas tax on the upcoming referendum.
Foothill High School
on Dec 1, 2017 at 12:50 am
on Dec 1, 2017 at 12:50 am
By the time they start this project they will need 2 new northbound lanes and by the time they finish this project they will need 4 new northbound lanes. One extra lane is like throwing a bucket of water on a burning house.
Castlewood
on Dec 3, 2017 at 12:51 am
on Dec 3, 2017 at 12:51 am
By the time they build the new lane the tech bubble may already burst. People who live here for only work may go back home and traffic will be back to Normal.