Major I-80 resurfacing closure underway in the Bay Area; what you need to know
On your way to the bay? Expect delays. A major I-80 construction project will mean a detour for drivers -- just in time for the Labor Day weekend.
The outage starts on Thursday night at 9 p.m. and will result in a major freeway closure. Caltrans is asking westbound drivers to avoid I-80 in the region entirely or take another route to the bay.
Where is the closure?
Traffic on Interstate 80 in Vallejo will come to a complete stop starting Thursday night. All westbound traffic will be stopped at the I-780 Interchange. Caltrans is closing the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge in Vallejo for a major facelift. Caltrans will be paving miles of concrete, laying asphalt, and making repairs on the bridge and beyond.
What's the detour?
Traffic will get off at I-80 at I-780, going across Vallejo and Benicia, then over to I-680, and then returning back to I-80 once you are past Pinole. The detour is expected to route 200,000 cars off I-80 from Thursday night through Monday -- from Vallejo to Hercules.
"If you are coming from Sacramento, we won't route you into the Bay Area. Take I-5 and stay out of the way," said a Caltrans spokesperson.
Why make the changes over a holiday weekend?
Caltrans says traffic patterns in the Bay Area on the weekend are lighter than they are on weekdays, making the repairs faster and safer for all.
Caltrans says they took 106 nights of closures and shrunk them into a four-day weekend.
For more information on the closure, visit cc80pave.com.
