Bay Bridge Forward

The Interstate 580 (I-580) westbound corridor serves as an approach to the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and is a key transbay commute corridor connecting the East Bay to San Francisco. The corridor experiences heavy traffic congestion during morning peak hours, with traffic backing up to the Interstate 980 (I-980)/State Route 24 (SR-24) interchange.

MTC, in partnership with Alameda CTC, proposes to extend the existing high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane on I-580 westbound to the vicinity of the I-980/SR-24 interchange as a near-term improvement. The I-580 Westbound HOV Lane Extension Project seeks to:

• Increase person throughput during peak hours,
• Improve travel time reliability to support buses and high-occupancy vehicles, and
• Encourage mode shift by providing travel time savings for HOV and transit users.

The Project proposes to convert a westbound general-purpose lane to an HOV lane from just east of the I-980/SR-24 interchange to connect with the existing /HOV lane at the toll plaza approach (just west of the MacArthur maze), a distance of approximately 1.7 miles.

Staff Contact

Pamela Kwan
Phone: (415) 778-5378
Email: pkwan@bayareametro.gov

MTC and the Alameda County Transportation Commission propose extending an existing high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane approaching the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge (SFOBB) toll plaza from the I-80 westbound approach by converting the right shoulder of the freeway or by repurposing the outside lane between Powell Street Interchange and the SFOBB toll plaza to an HOV lane. This project will benefit transit entering from the Powell Street interchange and other HOVs traveling on westbound I-80 that cannot use the existing leftmost HOV lane facility due to congestion. The proposed HOV lane would have operating hours that mirror the operating hours for the SFOBB toll plaza (Monday through Friday between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. and between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.).

The I-80 Westbound HOV/Bus Lane project seeks to:

• Improve the operational efficiency and travel time for buses and high occupancy vehicles (HOVs) on westbound I-80,
• Increase person throughput, and
• Encourage carpooling and transit use.

Staff Contact

Pamela Kwan
Phone: (415) 778-5378
Email: pkwan@bayareametro.gov

The I-80/Powell interchange currently services multiple transbay bus routes including Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) lines and the Capital Corridor (Amtrak) connecting bus between Emeryville Station and San Francisco. The existing transit route on West Frontage Road and I-80 Powell Street loop on-ramp are highly congested during morning peak commute hours. The project is needed to address the transit operational deficiencies that currently result in travel delays and decreased reliability for transit vehicles that enter and exit I-80 through Powell Street. 

MTC, in partnership with Alameda CTC, the City of Emeryville and AC Transit, is proposing transit facility improvements within the I-80 Powell Street interchange to:

• Improve transit reliability and travel time,
• Improve transit accessibility,
• Promote safety for transit riders, and
• Encourage transit use.

The improvements include the construction of a dedicated transit lane on Powell Street, new bus stops with improved pedestrian and bicycle access, and dedicated transit-only signals and detectors at the ramp intersections to facilitate transit priority.

Staff Contact

Pamela Kwan
Phone: (415) 778-5378
Email: pkwan@bayareametro.gov

A design alternative assessment is being conducted to address traffic congestion for the Interstate 80 (I-80) corridor in Alameda and Contra Costa counties between the Carquinez Bridge and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The assessment will produce ideas to improve higher occupancy modes of travel, such as express buses and carpools. Possible solutions may include:

• Bridge approach bud/HOV lane hours of operation
• I-80 HOV lane access modification or restrictions
• Dynamic bridge operations: dynamic transit routing and advanced traveler’s information on alternative modes

Staff Contact

Kevin Chen
Phone: (415) 557-5338
Email: kchen@bayareametro.gov

Working with employers, the MTC SHIFT program provides grants that support programs to reduce the number of people who drive alone.

Staff Contact

Michelle Go
Phone: (415) 778-6649
Email: mgo@bayareametro.gov

As part of Bay Bridge Forward Initiative, MTC constructed new commuter parking lots in the East Bay to encourage commuters to park and carpool or use transit to commute through the congested Bay Bridge corridor.

The Buchanan Street parking lot in the City of Albany is currently open to commuters from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. The gated lot is located on Buchanan Street underneath the Interstate 80 freeway and is supervised by parking attendants during operating hours. The facility includes 261 parking spaces, bike racks, bike lockers and EV chargers. The lot is currently served by AC Transit’s transbay bus line L. Users can pay the daily parking fee or purchase a monthly permit with their phones using the PassPort mobile payment app.  Please visit the Pivot Point Commuter Hub website for more information.

Staff Contact

Cathy Chea
Phone: (415) 778-6774
Email: cchea@bayareametro.gov

In 2016, MTC, in partnership with Caltrans and the City of Oakland, proposed the construction of a dedicated bus and carpool lane on West Grand Avenue to improve the travel time for buses and carpoolers approaching the Bay Bridge toll plaza from West Grand Avenue. The project is separated into two phases.

West Grand Avenue: Phase 1

Phase 1 involved the conversion of approximately 1,300 feet of right shoulder along the I-80 West Grand Avenue on-ramp to a bus/high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane. The bus/HOV lane is open to buses 24/7. HOVs with three or more occupants are allowed to use the lane during weekday peak hours, 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Since the opening of the bus/HOV lane in 2019, the lane has provided substantial travel time savings for buses and HOVs to bypass congestion during the morning peak period.

West Grand Avenue: Phase 2

Development of phase 2 is currently underway. It will extend the existing bus/HOV lane from its current limit to the beginning of the West Grand Avenue on-ramp at the Maritime Street intersection. A new full-time bus-only lane will also be constructed between Maritime Street and Frontage Road to allow buses to bypass a major queue on West Grand Avenue. The new bus-only lane will be open to HOVs with three or more occupants during the weekday peak hours (5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.).

Phase two of the project also proposes to construct a class I multi-use path on the south side of West Grand Avenue as part of phase 2 to close a 0.7-mile gap in the existing West Oakland bicycle network. The multi-use path will provide a key connection to the existing class I multi-use path on Maritime Street to the west and class II bike lanes on Mandela Parkway to the east of the project area.

Phase 2 construction is expected to begin in late 2023. When completed, the project will bring additional benefits for carpools, buses, pedestrians and bicyclists.

Staff Contact

Cathy Chea
Phone: (415) 778-6774
Email: cchea@bayareametro.gov

• Bryant Street on-ramp: Piloted various enforcement methods to reduce HOV violations.
• Flexible on-demand transit: Provided on-demand transit services from the East Bay to job centers outside of downtown San Francisco that are not well-served by transit.
• Higher capacity/increased express bus service: Retrofitted buses and increased frequencies on impacted AC Transit transbay routes. Added double-decker buses on the most productive AC Transit and WestCAT transbay express bus routes.
• Higher frequency ferry service: Increased service frequencies on the Alameda, Oakland and Vallejo ferry routes.
• Integrated bridge corridor: Integrated and optimized traffic management systems at all Bay Bridge approaches.
• Transit signal priority: Gave buses priority at traffic signals on the West Grand Avenue approach to the Bay Bridge.