East Bay Commuters Get Relief With Completion Of Hwy 4 Project
ANTIOCH (CBS SF) -- An East Bay highway with a reputation for trapping drivers in gridlock for hours has finally received a long overdue makeover.
Traffic on Highway 4 in Antioch has been a problem for years. This week, tens of thousands of commuters can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Richard Certo is one of a nearly quarter million who live in East Contra Costa County and use Highway 4.
"It was pretty bad," said Antioch resident Certo.
Anthony Wunder, another regular Highway 4 driver, agreed.
"It's terrible. We would avoid Highway 4 and take back roads," said Wunder. "Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday were pretty good. Thursdays weren't bad. Fridays sucked 'cause everybody wants to leave town."
Experts say 130,000 cars used the section of Highway 4 every day and wasted 60 hours in traffic a year. It even made the top ten list of the worst commutes in the nation.
"If you live out here, you know where the shortcuts are, so you take some of the shortcuts," said Certo.
That has all changed this week. A big celebration Wednesday off Highway 4 marked the completion of a years-long, $1.3 billion widening project.
The six-mile nightmare stretch from Pittsburg to Antioch went from two lanes in one direction to four.
"It helped out a lot," said Certo.
The once nearly hour-long drive home for Certo now takes just 20 minutes.
In addition to the widening project, Antioch commuters can look forward to the opening of a new BART station at Hillcrest Avenue scheduled to open sometime next year.
