Sign Testing Begins Next Week For Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Project

In preparation for the opening of a third eastbound traffic lane on Interstate 580 between San Rafael and Richmond, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) affiliate and Caltrans next week will begin a new round of testing on the newly-installed overhead message signs on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. To ensure the highest level of system reliability during live operations, testing will begin Monday,

Feb. 5 and continue for several weeks. The new third lane is slated to open by the end of April 2018.

When activated, the electronic signs will indicate when the new third lane — on the far right side of the roadway — is open and when it is closed. To minimize distraction during the initial testing period, the overhead signs will display dots instead of green arrows, a red X or other messages.

BATA and Caltrans are working in partnership with the Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) and the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) to convert the existing shoulder on eastbound I-580 to a peak-period use lane from the Sir Francis Drake Boulevard on-ramp in San Rafael to a newly expanded Richmond Parkway/Point Richmond exit in Richmond. The new third lane will be open to traffic during heavily-congested hours, typically from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

A new video and other information about the I-580 Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Access Improvement Projects can be found on the MTC Web site at mtc.ca.gov/our-work/plans-projects/major-regional-projects/richmond-san-rafael-bridge-access-improvements.

MTC is the regional transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. BATA, which administers revenue from the region’s seven state-owned toll bridges, is funding the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Access Improvement Projects with support from Caltrans to integrate these improvements into the state’s traffic management system.