'This Is A Major Closure' - Caltrans Shutting I-80 Near Fairfield Late Saturday To Remove Aging Bridge
FAIRFIELD (KPIX 5) – Drivers who rely on Interstate 80 through Solano County will be forced to take a major detour late Saturday through early Sunday as Caltrans performs demolition work.
"We obviously recognize that there's no good time to ever close Interstate 80," Caltrans spokesperson Vince Jacala told KPIX 5. "This is a major closure, and we don't do that this often."
A rare full closure of Interstate 80 near Fairfield, set from 11 p.m. Saturday night through 9 a.m. Sunday morning. It will allow crews to get rid of the old Highway 12 flyover, now that traffic is flowing on a new one.
"The old bridge was built in 1967," said engineer Fernando Dos Santos. "It's about 406 feet long."
Engineers originally thought the demolition job would take two weekends, given the proximity between the old construction and the new.
"Now we're going to be doing it on only one," Santos said. "The contractor put together additional resources."
That still means the full shutdown, which will send all east and westbound traffic over past Suisun Bay.
"So basically, depending on which direction you're coming into, you're going to have to go around 780," Jacala said. "Through Benicia."
The work on this stretch of the interstate is far from over. All of the interchanges on I-80, I-680, and Highway 12 are being replaced. A job that will be done in segments, with year breaks in between.
"So if you do the math, we will probably have work going out here for the next 10 to 15 years," Jacala said.