High-Tech Safety and Congestion Relief Improvements Underway on the I-80 Corridor

Motorists along the I-80 corridor between Richmond and Emeryville have likely seen the latest evidence of progress of the I-80 SMART (integrated corridor mobility) project – the first installation of overhead posts known as gantries, which span all westbound lanes and will hold variable speed messaging signs that providing advance warning of accidents, merges or speed changes. Installation of all 11 gantries (from Richmond to Emeryville) will be complete in the next several months, and system integration of real-time data sensors will occur later this year. These overhead signs as well as smart ramp meters throughout the corridor from the Bay to the Carquinez Bridge will all be turned on simultaneously in early 2015. For information, including freeway closures (which will only happen between approximately midnight and 4 a.m.) – see the project website at www.80SMARTcorridor.org

“Alameda CTC has been on the forefront of bringing high-tech transportation solutions to improve traffic in the region,” says Alameda CTC Executive Director Art Dao. “Not only did Alameda CTC provide local Measure B dollars for the important I-80 SMART project, but we were also responsible for advocating and securing the more than $67 million in state funding for the project (from voter approved Proposition 1B) to relieve traffic and reduce accidents in this heavily used and congested I-80 corridor.”

The San Pablo Avenue corridor and other I-80 connecting arterials are also included in the project, which is the first of its kind in the Bay Area to integrate freeway and arterial operations into a single system. It is also the first project to use variable advisory speed signs to notify drivers of conditions ahead (helping to reduce secondary accidents), and the first installation in California of signs that direct drivers to specific lanes to improve safety and traffic flow. Additionally, the project supports transit by providing transit riders with real-time information and gives preferential treatment to transit vehicles through signal priority and ramp meter bypass.

This project was developed in collaboration with Caltrans, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority nine cities, two transit agencies and other regional agencies with jurisdiction over this corridor. Alameda CTC and partners are excited about the significant benefits that this high-tech smart corridor project will bring to commuters, transit and business in this most congested corridor and will keep you informed of its continued progress. For more information, view the I-80 Smart Corridor Project video.

Follow the project at https://twitter.com/hashtag/80smart