New Striping Completed as I-880 Express Lanes’ Opening Nears

Work crews this week completed the striping of new lane configurations on Interstate 880 in Alameda County as the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and Caltrans gear up for the expected September opening of new Express Lanes between Oakland and the Santa Clara County line.

Drivers cannot lawfully cross double white lines, which have been added in select locations along the I-880 corridor to indicate where drivers must stay in their current lane. In other locations, newly striped merge lanes help drivers move into or out of the far left lane. The new lane configurations help traffic flow better and more safely in both the far left carpool lane and in the adjacent general purpose lanes. Over the course of the five-week striping project, the merge lanes and double white lines were added to heavily congested segments of the corridor where movement between lanes is often difficult and frequently contributes to slow traffic flows. Lane-change rules are effective immediately, even though Express Lane tolling will not begin until this fall.

Travelers can visit 511.org to learn where to enter and exit the far-left lane. The site includes FAQs and maps explaining where the striping configurations are being painted and what they mean, as well as a video explaining how to obey the new striping rules.