Freeways

[Cal_Escapee]

These are the Bay Area arterial freeways; the ones that get us around the area where we need to go:


http://www.aaccessmaps.com/show/map/us/ca/bayarea

This thread is for news about them, pictures of them and anything of interest related to them.

Here is a link to the traffic status at any given time: http://traffic.511.org/traffic_map.asp

Here is how it might have been and may someday be:


http://wilshirevermont.com/2011/04/2...-the-bay-area/

Post away!

[Cal_Escapee]

237 express lane opens - small step in huge plan
Michael Cabanatuan
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Whether, and when, Bay Area drivers will take to express lanes - carpool lanes that solo drivers buy their way into for a varying toll - remains to be seen. But the beginnings of what could become a nearly 600-mile network of the lanes are taking shape, and lone drivers seem willing to pay.

"This isn't just a planning document," Randy Rentschler, spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, said of the plan for a regional express lane network. "Things are happening. But they're happening one small piece at a time."

The second piece of the planned 570-mile network of express lanes in the East Bay and South Bay was put in place last Tuesday in Milpitas, through the Interstate 880-Highway 237 interchange.

The 237 express lane covers just 4 miles, and is the first lane to offer a speedier trip through an oft-clogged interchange. Meanwhile, traffic is picking up in the I-680 express lane, which got off to a sluggish start when it launched a year and a half ago on southbound I-680 over the Sunol Grade.

Express lanes are carpool lanes that allow solo drivers to use them in exchange for paying a toll that rises and falls along with congestion. Tolls fluctuate to keep the express lane flowing, and to offer a time savings over the regular lanes. Carpools, which currently require two to three people per vehicle, continue to get free access.

Bay Area transportation planners consider the lanes as a way to increase freeway capacity with minimum construction. They hope to knit together a network combining converted carpool lanes and newly built lanes. Although Bay Area transportation planners had talked about express lanes since the 1990s, the first one didn't debut here until September 2010 on southbound I-680 between Sunol and Milpitas . . . .

Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...BAR41NQAP1.DTL

[Cal_Escapee]

The Embarcadero Freeway: Lest we forget

There was this:


http://www.preservenet.com/freeways/...barcadero.html


http://www.wayfaring.com/


http://blog.sfgate.com/parenting/201...adero-freeway/


http://www.slate.com/articles/life/t...o_freeway.html

And this:



Then came the awakening: http://vimeo.com/11910299

And there came to be this:




All images: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...17/MNCITY1.DTL

[612bv3]

I've always wondered why there isn't a freeway that parallel 880 from Hayward to Fremont. It drives me nuts sometimes.

[Animo]

Nice thread! Thanks Cal!

[fredcalif]

NIce work guys

[The-E-Vid]

Originally Posted by 612bv3

I've always wondered why there isn't a freeway that parallel 880 from Hayward to Fremont. It drives me nuts sometimes.

I wonder why They never built a faster access to/from the Golden Gate Bridge to the south on Hwy1 ..I mean its beautifull the way it is crossing the Sunset and the Park,I woulndt build a freeway ..but sometimes I need to get thru the City faster but the lights and traffic on 19th Ave makes it me mad..
Same with the bottleneck section of the Hwy4 in the Delta region of Pitsburg-Antioch-Brentwood

[612bv3]

Source: http://www.insidebayarea.com/

I-680 express/toll lane plan for Pleasanton to Milpitas

By Katie Nelson knelson@bayareanewsgroup.com
Posted: 09/25/2012 11:49:12 AM PDT
Updated: 09/25/2012 01:10:12 PM PDT

By Katie Nelson

Plans for express lanes on northbound Interstate 680 from Milpitas to Pleasanton will be the subject of public hearings next week.

Meetings will be held Oct. 3 and 4 in Pleasanton and Fremont, and will air proposals by CalTrans and the Alameda County Transportation Commission to build a 15-mile express lane from State Route 237 to State Route 85 on 680.

The express lanes would go through Milpitas, Fremont, Sunol and Pleasanton.
Express lanes give solo drivers the option to pay toll in order to use a lane used by carpoolers.

The meetings are an opportunity to collect community comments on environmental studies on the I-680 Northbound HOV Express Lane project.

The Pleasanton meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 3 at Hearst Elementary School, 5301 Case Ave. The Fremont hearing will be at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 4 at Chadbourne Elementary School, 201 Plymouth Ave.

Read more: http://www.insidebayarea.com/traffic...anton-milpitas

[612bv3]

Source: http://www.insidebayarea.com

Planning for northbound I-680 toll lane begins

By Denis Cuff dcuff@bayareanewsgroup.com
Posted: 10/04/2012 03:20:45 PM PDT
Updated: 10/04/2012 04:28:43 PM PDT

PLEASANTON -- With a first Bay Area toll lane proving it can help traffic congestion, freeway managers are planning for another on the same stretch of road from Milpitas to Pleasanton.

The first express lane opened there on southbound Interstate 680 in September 2010. Since then one opened in Santa Clara County, and plans are now underway to add a northbound toll lane along the Milpitas to Pleasanton route.

Don't expect a quick arrival, though, of the new 14-mile-long express lane between Silicon Valley jobs and East Bay suburbs. It could cost roughly between $170 million and $280 million.

It could take until 2018 to build, wire and open the brand new lane, freeway managers said in a meeting Wednesday night in Pleasanton on environmental planning for the project. It would be open to carpools for free and to solo drivers for an electronic toll that varies with congestion.

Caltrans, the Alameda County Transportation Commission and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority are teaming up with the CHP to plan the new lane.

Read more: http://www.insidebayarea.com/bay-are...l-lane-abegins

[fieldsofdreams]

Here's my observation during the PM commute:

If the Bay Bridge and I-80 east is congested, many drivers hop over the Golden Gate Bridge, drive through Marin on US-101, and exit at either Sir Francis Drake in Larkspur or I-580 in San Rafael to access the Richmond Bridge. Result: long traffic jams... the farthest south I've encountered such traffic jams are from just after the Waldo Tunnel in Sausalito (right before the Spencer Avenue and Monte Mar Avenue exit), and the back up goes all the way up to right after Corte Madera, a distance of around 7 miles (15km). In fact, sometimes, the Thursday jam is worse than on Friday -- I have no idea why or how that could be. I've already posted my jam pictures on my Bay Area in pictures thread to show you what I mean:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showth...5#post96128485

[612bv3]

Originally Posted by fieldsofdreams

Here's my observation during the PM commute:

If the Bay Bridge and I-80 east is congested, many drivers hop over the Golden Gate Bridge, drive through Marin on US-101, and exit at either Sir Francis Drake in Larkspur or I-580 in San Rafael to access the Richmond Bridge. Result: long traffic jams... the farthest south I've encountered such traffic jams are from just after the Waldo Tunnel in Sausalito (right before the Spencer Avenue and Monte Mar Avenue exit), and the back up goes all the way up to right after Corte Madera, a distance of around 7 miles (15km). In fact, sometimes, the Thursday jam is worse than on Friday -- I have no idea why or how that could be. I've already posted my jam pictures on my Bay Area in pictures thread to show you what I mean:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showth...5#post96128485

I don't understand why someone would do that. Usually after you're on the Bay Bridge traffic is very smooth. The Bay Bridge is the bottle neck.

[fieldsofdreams]

Originally Posted by 612bv3

I don't understand why someone would do that. Usually after you're on the Bay Bridge traffic is very smooth. The Bay Bridge is the bottle neck.

Let me explain: sometimes, traffic at the entrances to the Bay Bridge in San Francisco (particularly from Fourth Street and Essex Street) can be so bad, it backs up as far as Howard or Folsom Streets. Plus, the congestion on the bridge may not necessarily end at the bridge: heavy traffic persists on I-80 in Emeryville heading towards Berkeley because trucks from the Port of Oakland converge onto the wide freeway... And that cars from both I-580 and I-880 also merge (a.k.a. The MacArthur Maze), and that traffic could last until around Highway 4 in Hercules. People just want to avoid the congestion in the City and in Emeryville, thus many hop over to Marin County and create gridlocks there.

[612bv3]

[612bv3]

Source: http://www.contracostatimes.com

Eastbound Highway 4 to be closed through Antioch early Thursday morning

By Paul Burgarino Contra Costa Times
Posted: 10/09/2012 02:58:17 PM PDT
Updated: 10/09/2012 02:58:17 PM PDT

ANTIOCH -- All eastbound lanes of Highway 4 through Antioch will be closed early Thursday morning as construction continues to widen the road.

Lanes between Somersville Road and Lone Tree Way will be closed between midnight and 5 a.m., as the contractor will be paving concrete in the median, according to a Caltrans news release

Closing the road ensures the safety of the crew, Caltrans said.

Motorists will be detoured off the freeway at Somersville and down Fitzuren Road and Putnam Street before merging back on at Lone Tree.

Drivers should expect delays and allow extra commute time.

Article: http://www.contracostatimes.com/news...-antioch-early

[612bv3]

Source: http://www.contracostatimes.com

Studies continue on TriLink project to connect East Contra Costa and Tracy area

By Paul Burgarino Contra Costa Times
Posted: 10/19/2012 04:54:33 PM PDT
Updated: 10/22/2012 07:16:31 AM PDT

Contra Costa transportation leaders are looking to shed East County's "cul-de-sac" mentality once and for all.

As work continues to widen Highway 4 through Antioch and into Brentwood, studies have begun for a long-sought freeway that would connect the region to the San Joaquin Valley. Most agree there is a travel gap caused by having only two-lane country roads to the east, and that a freeway would make the region more economically viable.

Though there is no set route yet, the 20-mile stretch of Highway 239 would run from about Highway 4 south of Brentwood to Interstates 205 and 580 near Tracy.

Read more: http://www.contracostatimes.com/news...ntra-costa-and

[612bv3]

Source: http://www.contracostatimes.com/

Project to ease traffic on Interstate 80 unveiled

By Chris Treadway
Contra Costa Times
Posted: 10/19/2012 02:56:55 PM PDT
Updated: 10/22/2012 06:50:51 AM PDT

EMERYVILLE -- Regional transportation officials are taking a unique and comprehensive approach to relieving clogged arteries that affect the health of commuters and cities along the Interstate 80 corridor from the Carquinez Bridge to the MacArthur Maze.

That 22-mile stretch has topped the list of the Bay Area's most congested commutes since 1999, carrying about 290,000 commuters each weekday and often as much on weekends.

An unprecedented collaboration that includes Caltrans, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the transportation commissions in Alameda and Contra Costa counties and cities along the corridor on Friday rolled out plans for the I-80 Integrated Corridor Mobility Project.

Read more: http://www.contracostatimes.com/news...te-80-unveiled

[Cal_Escapee]

Originally Posted by The-E-Vid

I wonder why They never built a faster access to/from the Golden Gate Bridge to the south on Hwy1 ..I mean its beautifull the way it is crossing the Sunset and the Park,I woulndt build a freeway ..but sometimes I need to get thru the City faster but the lights and traffic on 19th Ave makes it me mad..
Same with the bottleneck section of the Hwy4 in the Delta region of Pitsburg-Antioch-Brentwood

The reason they never built it is because the citizens of the city revolted and stopped it. Here's what was planned (in 1955) until it was stopped:


http://www.cahighways.org/maps/1955trafficways.jpg

Even that was a reduction of this horror from 1948:


http://www.cahighways.org/maps-sf-fwy.html

Cities, I regret to tell you, are for the people who live in them, not the people who need to get through them. The latter should go around.

[fieldsofdreams]

Originally Posted by Cal_Escapee

The reason they never built it is because the citizens of the city revolted and stopped it. Here's what was planned (in 1955) until it was stopped:

http://www.cahighways.org/maps/1955trafficways.jpg

Even that was a reduction of this horror from 1948:

http://www.cahighways.org/maps-sf-fwy.html

Cities, I regret to tell you, are for the people who live in them, not the people who need to get through them. The latter should go around.

I hold true to your statement. Freeways in San Francisco would make the city look unattractive, if not dull or disturbing. Freeways are a double-edged sword: sure, it can speed up your travel time... At the expense of blight, noise and visual pollution, and creating "divisions" among neighborhoods.

[612bv3]

Source: http://www.contracostatimes.com/

Cost savings continue on bids for Highway 4 widening project through Antioch

By Paul Burgarino Contra Costa Times
Posted: 11/01/2012 08:32:39 AM PDT
Updated: 11/01/2012 08:33:10 AM PDT

ANTIOCH -- The final piece of the Highway 4 widening project moved closer to reality recently as bids to build the segment at Hillcrest Avenue came in lower than expected.

Rancho Cordova-based Bay Cities/Myers is in line to get the contract following a bid of $48.67 million -- about $7 million less than the anticipated price tag of $55.7 million.

The low construction bid for the Hillcrest project means that each of the five segments awarded for the Highway 4 widening over the last two years has yielded millions in cost savings.

About $75 million has been saved on the project because of the low bids, said Ross Chittenden, deputy executive director or projects for the Contra Costa Transportation Authority.

"It ensures that we'll continue to have the capacity to finish the project," said Antioch councilman Brian Kalinowski, who represents the city on transportation issues.

Read more: http://www.contracostatimes.com/news...dening-project

[612bv3]

Source: www.contracostatimes.com

Devils Slide bypass tunnels delayed again

By Aaron Kinney akinney@bayareanewsgroup.com
Posted: 11/12/2012 10:59:07 AM PST
Updated: 11/12/2012 06:12:31 PM PST

MONTARA -- Gentlemen, turn off your engines. Ribbon-cutters, holster your shears.

Motorists who plan to drive in a parade marking the opening of the twin Devils Slide bypass tunnels -- and politicians awaiting a sweet photo opp -- will have to wait a couple months longer due to yet another delay wrapping up the ambitious, roughly half-a-billion-dollar project.

Caltrans aimed to finish by early December, but local and county officials on Monday said the completion date has been pushed back into the early part of 2013. It's at least the third holdup for the project, which required boring two 4,200-foot tunnels through a mountain that towers above the surf between Pacifica and Half Moon Bay.

Although the tunnels were originally slated to open in late 2010 or early 2011, locals involved with the undertaking seem to be absorbing the latest deferral in stride. Mitch Reid, an organizer of the vehicle parade, campaigned for the 1996 ballot measure that required Caltrans to build the tunnel rather than a freeway bypass.

Read more: http://www.contracostatimes.com/bay-...-delayed-again