Fairfield freeway improvements get under way

Fairfield freeway improvements get under way
East Bay Business Times - by David Goll Staff reporter
September 11, 2008

A symbolic start to construction work that will expand and improve the North Texas Street interchange with Interstate 80 in Fairfield will be held Thursday, with a groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for 3 p.m.

State Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, D-Davis, whose Eighth Assembly District encompasses Solano and Yolo counties, will be keynote speaker at the event, scheduled to be staged at the Paradise Valley Clubhouse in Fairfield. Work on the project being done through the city of Fairfield will get under way in earnest Sept. 22.

The project will include the following components:

• Widening the North Texas Street/I-80 over crossing from two lanes to four lanes with eight-foot shoulders and the addition of a sidewalk on the south side. This will provide access for both pedestrians and cyclists.
• A seismic retrofit of the 40-year-old bridge.
• Relocation of the I-80 easterly on- and off-ramps to a new intersection with traffic signals at Manuel Campos Parkway. This will allow left turns for motorists coming from the Rolling Hills neighborhood from North Texas to eastbound I-80.

Construction is scheduled to be completed summer 2010. During the construction period, city officials have said they will ensure access to affected businesses on North Texas Street, including the Chevron and Arco AM/PM gas stations and the Hillside Terrace shopping area.

City officials have said they will be working with affected business owners to keep them informed during the construction and are staying in touch with the California Department of Transportation to minimize bridge and freeway closures. Residents should expect day and scheduled night work for improvements to the bridge and reduced lanes on North Texas Street, as well as temporary realignments of the street during the construction period.