Public Invited to Weigh In on Express Lane Plans for I-880 and Dumbarton, San Mateo-Hayward Bridge Approaches
OAKLAND, CA — The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and Caltrans invite the public to a pair of open houses in Hayward on Thursday, Jan. 29 and in Fremont on Wednesday, Feb. 25 to learn more about plans for converting to Express Lanes the existing high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes on Interstate 880 in Alameda County, and on the westbound approaches to the Dumbarton and San Mateo-Hayward bridges.
Like traditional carpool lanes, Express Lanes are free for carpools, vanpools, buses and other eligible vehicles — while also allowing access for solo drivers who choose to pay a toll to use the lane. The toll will vary depending on congestion levels. “We have three goals for Express Lanes,” explains Lisa Klein, Express Lanes program manager for MTC. “Make better use of carpool lane capacity, provide a more reliable travel option, and keep traffic moving.”
Bay Area Express Lanes
The Express Lanes project on I-880 and State Routes 84 and 92 is part of a larger program to develop 550 miles of Express Lanes on Bay Area freeways by 2035. The 2010 opening of the region’s first Express Lane on southbound Interstate 680 from Sunol to Milpitas was followed in 2012 by an Express Lane on State Route 237 in Santa Clara County. The development of new Express Lanes will be undertaken by various agencies, including MTC, the Alameda County Transportation Commission and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA).
What’s Involved
Converting existing carpool lanes into Express Lanes involves installing tolling equipment (FasTrak® electronic toll tag readers) and new signage, plus upgrading CHP enforcement capabilities. No freeway widening will occur as part of this project.
Public Open Houses
Thursday, January 29, 2015
5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Hayward City Hall, 777 B Street
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Fremont City Hall, 3300 Capitol Avenue
Each Open House will be an informational meeting at which members of the public can review project plans, talk with project team members and provide input.
Can’t Make the Meeting?
View the online open house at www.BayAreaExpressLanes.org, which will be open from January 30 through March 6.
MTC is the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.
Contact:
John Goodwin: (415) 778-5262