Interstate 80 finally getting needed improvements

Interstate 80 finally getting needed improvements
By Sarah Rohrs
Vallejo Times-Herald
Posted: 02/21/2009

As a major artery cutting a wide swath through Solano County, Interstate 80 is impossible to ignore. But despite its prominence, the freeway has long been neglected, say transportation advocates and commuters.

So they are relieved the rubber has finally met the road, and the corridor is getting some long-overdue attention through rehabilitation work and high-occupancy-vehicle lanes.

Solano County commuters, like Suisun City resident Bob Ritchie, are pleased I-80 work has made a dent in needed improvements. But they want more done for commuters tired of sitting in traffic every day.

Ritchie is in a vanpool that includes three Vallejo riders headed for San Francisco International Airport. He said I-80 HOV lanes being built near Fairfield are welcome, but they also should be added in Vallejo, where afternoon eastbound gridlock is notorious.

A carpool lane on the Carquinez Bridge to allow those in vanpools and carpools to bypass the toll plaza is also needed, he said.

"It's starting to take shape," Ritchie said of the work along I-80.

"There's been a lot of hard work on the part of Caltrans and the state to make everybody happy. I hope they continue. The only real disappointment is Vallejo," he added.

Caltrans has designated more than $150 million for current I-80 improvements in Solano County. HOV lanes in Vallejo between the Carquinez Bridge and Highway 37 are being studied, but no funding has been identified for them, officials said.

Further, more I-80 projects are being reviewed, everything from landscaping and artwork to ramp metering and the latest in congestion relief — HOT lanes, which are HOV lanes accessible to solo drivers who pay a fee.

"The I-80 corridor is the lifeblood for Solano County," said Metropolitan Transportation Commission member Jim Spering of Suisun City, also a Solano County supervisor. "It's probably the No. 1 transportation issue for Solano County."

The busy I-80 freeway in Solano requires continuous work to ensure it's safe and efficient for commuters, Spering said.

Nearly 127,500 drivers pass over I-80 in both directions in Solano County each day, the California Department of Transportation reports.

The MTC and the Bay Area Toll Authority, its sister agency, have agreed to invest up to $200 million in state bonds to finance transportation projects threatened by the state's budget crisis.

Caltrans' HOV lanes in Fairfield, and the pavement rehabilitation work spanning the county, should be completed by year's end, spokesman Ben Edoktayi said.

The I-80 work includes new pavement and barriers, wider inside shoulders and HOV lanes between Red Top Road, just west of Cordelia, to East of Air Base Parkway in Fairfield.

The federal stimulus package could result in more I-80 improvements, Edoktayi said.

Further down the road, I-80 could see more sound walls, new landscaping, message boards, signs and other amenities to help move traffic more efficiently and help drivers make good choices. These are being studied by Solano Transportation Authority, Metropolitan Transportation Commission and other agencies.

With I-80 running through many counties, a regional and cooperative approach is being used to study future improvements, MTC spokesman John Goodwin said.

"What is particularly unique about the I-80 corridor is that it's part of a growing mega-region," Goodwin said, adding that the Bay Area and Sacramento regions are slowly merging, with the freeway running through and connecting both.

To identify trends and future I-80 needs, an upcoming report will examine population growth, demographics and commercial developments in Solano, Sacramento, Yolo and Placer counties, Goodwin said.

Reducing air pollution, exploring an expansion of the Capitol Corridor train system and forging stronger links between transportation and land-use planning are other goals of the report, said Matt Carpenter, Sacramento Area Council of Governments' director of transportation planning.

Dealing with increased truck traffic on I-80 and coordinating future highway investments among a wide range of players are also important aspects, Carpenter added.

The draft report spotlighting I-80 in the Bay Area and the Sacramento regions will be released in April at a UC Davis summit, Goodwin said.

Meanwhile, efforts also are in the works to improve portions of I-80 from Sacramento through the Nevada border — a critical safety issue, Spering said.

The focus on I-80 between Solano County and Sacramento and beyond could improve commutes for many Vallejo and Benicia residents who work in Davis or the state capital.

Vallejo's Ward Stewart, who has commuted to UC Davis for the last 28 years, said Caltrans' current I-80 work in Solano has made a big difference.

A number of I-80 improvements are also identified in MTC's draft Transportation 2035, a long-range plan which calls for an estimated $226 billion to restore and maintain the Bay Area's roadways, improve rail and bus systems and shore up aging infrastructure.

Fixing one of the biggest headaches for I-80 drivers — the bottleneck at the I-80/I-680 interchange in Cordelia — is identified as a priority project in the MTC 2035 report, though just when it will be done is anyone's guess.

The project has a $487.9 million price tag. However, Spering said full funding has not been identified. A companion to that massive project is the $100 million effort to rebuild and relocate the Cordelia truck scales.

Despite lack of funding for many crucial I-80 improvements, transportation and commuters and Caltrans and so many other agencies efforts for the freeway are encouraging.

"For so many years, there has not been a focus on I-80. It's long overdue," said Solano Transportation Authority director of projects Janet Adams.