Misplaced Pages

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32-647: While the tracks run in the median of California State Route 24 on both sides of the tunnel, the Berkeley Hills Tunnel allows the tracks to take a straighter alignment offset to the north of the Caldecott Tunnel . The tunnel bores through the Berkeley Hills east of Berkeley and Oakland a distance of 3.1 miles (5.0 km) through a variety of rock strata, most of which are soft and porous. The earthquake-active Hayward Fault bisects

64-544: A combined storage capacity of 155,150 acre-feet (0.19137 km ). The water is treated at the San Pablo, Sobrante and Upper San Leandro Treatment Plants before passing through the Claremont Tunnel, which emerges on the western side of the range between Berkeley and Oakland . Water not immediately put into the municipal system is stored in the reservoirs for use in times of low delivery or drought. Most of

96-452: A future Route 24 bypass. [1] A 1956 version of Thomas Brothers maps shows Mount Diablo Boulevard where present day Northgate Road is and labeled as Route 24, winding and climbing the mountain. Mileage is measured from SR 24's original western terminus, now part of Interstate 980 . Mokelumne Aqueduct The Mokelumne Aqueduct is a 95-mile (153 km) water conveyance system in central California , United States. The aqueduct

128-421: A height of 400 feet (120 m). This would expand the reservoir surface by 33 to 46 feet (10 to 14 m). The enlarged reservoir would cover 3,400 acres (1,400 ha), an increase of 62 percent, and the capacity would be about 300,000 acre-feet (0.37 km ), a roughly 50 percent increase. It would allow for more water to be provided during the dry season that would otherwise have been spilled over

160-536: A single pipeline, were completed. The first deliveries to the Bay Area were made on June 23, 1929. At the time of completion, Pardee Dam was the tallest in the world (this record was surpassed one year later by Diablo Dam in Washington State). In 1949, a second pipeline was built and in 1963 the third pipeline was constructed, bringing the aqueduct to its present capacity. In 1964, the second major dam of

192-894: Is a heavily traveled east–west state highway in the U.S. state of California that serves the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay Area . A freeway throughout its entire length, it runs from the Interstate 580 / Interstate 980 interchange (just east of the MacArthur Maze ) in Oakland , and through the Caldecott Tunnel under the Berkeley Hills , to the Interstate 680 junction in Walnut Creek . It lies in Alameda County , where it

224-588: Is highly urban, and Contra Costa County , where it passes through wooded hillsides and suburbs. SR 24 is a major connection between the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge /MacArthur Maze complex and the inland cities of the East Bay . SR 24 begins at the four-level stack interchange with Interstate 580 and Interstate 980 in Oakland ; this interchange is located on top of Grove Shafter Park . SR 24 initially heads north before turning east near

256-508: Is located in a seismically active zone and is considered vulnerable to earthquakes, especially the 15-mile (24 km) stretch where it crosses the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, where an earthquake or storm-induced levee failure could damage the pipelines or any of three major river crossings here. A large earthquake (100 year return period or more) could put the aqueduct out of service from 18 months to three years, depending on

288-587: Is supplied by the Mokelumne River and provides water to 35 municipalities in the East Bay in the San Francisco Bay Area . The aqueduct and the associated dams, pipelines, treatment plants and hydroelectric system are owned and operated by the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) and provide over 90 percent of the water used by the agency. The aqueduct is the sole water supply for about 1.4 million people in

320-662: The Antioch Bridge , continuing along the river road to Sacramento, currently State Route 160 , then continuing north to Woodland , Marysville , Oroville , along the North Fork of the Feather River to a junction with State Route 89 (this segment is currently State Route 70 ), where it continued dual-numbered with 89 through Quincy . Highway 24 split from 89 near Graeagle, and continued east through Portola east until its terminus at U.S. Route 395 . Parts of

352-689: The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system runs in the freeway's center median , excepting the vicinity of the Caldecott Tunnel and the approach to the interchange with Interstate 680 . SR 24 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System , and is part of the National Highway System , a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by

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384-548: The Berkeley city limits. Route 24 rises from near sea level in downtown Oakland past its interchange with State Route 13 , which is a freeway south of SR 24 (upgraded August 1999) and a surface street north of SR 24. After this, SR 24 crosses the Contra Costa County county line through the four-bore Caldecott Tunnel and offers some attractive views of the hilly terrain through which it passes. Some protection of

416-853: The Central Valley along the Calaveras River before crossing the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta . Near Lodi , the aqueduct is joined by an extension of the Folsom South Canal, which supplements the Mokelumne River supply. Once the water reaches the Berkeley Hills above the East Bay, it is channeled into a complex distribution system consisting of six terminal reservoirs ( Briones , Chabot , Lafayette , San Pablo and Upper San Leandro) with

448-580: The Federal Highway Administration . SR 24 is eligible to be included in the State Scenic Highway System ; however, Caltrans has only designated it as a scenic highway between the eastern end of the Caldecott Tunnel and I-680 , meaning that it is a substantial section of highway passing through a "memorable landscape" with no "visual intrusions", where the potential designation has gained popular favor with

480-594: The Berkeley Hills on Tunnel Road to the old Intercounty Tunnel (also called the Kennedy Tunnel), through the tunnel into Contra Costa County. Highway 24 remained along Ashby Avenue until completion of the Grove-Shafter Freeway in the late 1960s. This new freeway, which ran from the Caldecott Tunnel through downtown Oakland to the MacArthur and Nimitz Freeways, was designated Route 24 and Ashby

512-477: The East Bay. Under present water rights agreements, EBMUD can withdraw up to 325 million gallons (1,230,000 m ) per day, or 364,000 acre-feet (0.449 km ) per year, from the Mokelumne River. In addition, up to 98 million gallons (371,000 m ) per day or 110,000 acre-feet (0.14 km ) per year can be supplied via a branch from the Sacramento River . However, this supply is expected only to be used in

544-457: The aqueduct consists of three separate buried steel pipelines, although there are also some aboveground segments. The pipelines, also known as Aqueducts No. 1, 2 and 3, have diameters of 61 inches (1.5 m), 67 inches (1.7 m) and 87 inches (2.2 m), respectively. Aside from the main facilities, the distribution system includes 4,000 miles (6,400 km) of pipes, 125 pump plants, and 168 local reservoirs/storage tanks. The aqueduct

576-480: The aqueduct. However, Camanche allows for greater diversions into the aqueduct by storing winter floodwaters spilled from Pardee. During the dry season, water is released from Camanche in order to satisfy local water-rights holders, eliminating the need to draw water from Pardee. The aqueduct travels southwest for 95 miles (153 km) through the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada and then west across

608-766: The community. SR 24 is designated as both the Grove Shafter Freeway , after streets the route travels along (Grove Street was later renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Way), and the William Byron Rumford Freeway, honoring the first African American elected to a state public office in Northern California, from the Caldecott Tunnel to the I-580 interchange segment of the MacArthur Maze , continuing henceforth as I-980 to

640-476: The driest 35% of years. In the early 20th century, due to a lack of reliable local water, Bay Area cities began to look to rivers in the Sierra Nevada , about 100 miles (160 km) east, as a potential new source. Although the city of San Francisco was already extending an aqueduct to the Tuolumne River , East Bay communities wanted to build an independent water system, fearing future " hegemony " of

672-508: The extent of the damage. Levee failures in 1980 and 2004 (not caused by earthquakes) on Jones Tract have threatened the aqueduct. An aqueduct joint at the crossing of the Middle River also failed in 1992, nearly causing a washout of the levee. The aqueduct was shut down in time before an actual levee breach could occur. Because Pardee Reservoir is relatively small among California reservoirs, EBMUD has pursued to raise Pardee Dam to

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704-416: The hills. Before either the bridge or the tunnel were completed, Highway 24 was provisionally routed starting from downtown Oakland at the major intersection of San Pablo and Broadway, which was also the terminal point of US 40 and State Highway 17. From this point, Highway 24 proceeded northward along Broadway to College Avenue, then along College to Claremont Avenue, up Claremont to Tunnel Road, then up into

736-665: The project, Camanche Dam , was completed below Pardee. In 1970, EBMUD signed a contract with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) for supplemental water from the Folsom South Canal , which draws water from the American River near Sacramento . The USBR supply was delayed for nearly 40 years in part due to minimum flow requirements in the American River to protect salmon and steelhead populations. The Folsom South Canal Connection (FSCC), which links

768-638: The same route were also sometimes designated as State Route 84. At least one published map from the 1960s incorrectly showed Route 24 extending eastward from Interstate 680 in Walnut Creek to Route 4 in Pittsburg that followed the Ygnacio Valley Road-Kirker Pass Road-Railroad Avenue corridor , presumably as a future extension that never materialized. A 1970 State Highway Map shows this corridor as

800-533: The terminus with I-880. Highway 24 was designated in 1932 in conjunction with the ongoing construction of the Broadway Low Level Tunnel (renamed the Caldecott Tunnel in 1960) which opened in 1937, connecting with the new Eastshore Highway and the approaches to the new Bay Bridge by way of Tunnel Road and Ashby Avenue through Berkeley west of the Berkeley Hills , and routed along Mount Diablo Boulevard through Contra Costa County east of

832-512: The tunnel about 900 feet (270 m) inside the west portal (Oakland side). There are 2 bores, each 17.5 feet (5.3 m) in diameter, spaced 50 feet (15 m) apart. Pedestrian cross-tunnels are spaced every 1,000 feet (300 m) for emergency evacuation in case of fire, etc. There is a ventilation structure at the east portal with roll-down doors that can close off the tunnel end to allow air to be sucked out or blown in. By 2017, cumulative minor damage from fault creep had significantly reduced

864-458: The tunnel's cross section, to the point where BART determined it was necessary to plan for repair and mitigation against future creep. The work, which includes excavating the tunnel walls and realigning the tracks, is expected to cost $ 60 million. Construction of the tunnel began in early February, 1965. The bores were holed through by March, 1967, and construction completed in July, 1968. The tunnel

896-418: The two waterways, was finally completed in 2009. The aqueduct begins at Pardee Reservoir, which is formed by Pardee Dam on the Mokelumne River. The reservoir has a capacity of 197,950 acre-feet (0.24417 km ), or about a 10-month supply. Camanche Reservoir, located directly below Pardee, has a storage capacity of 417,120 acre-feet (0.51451 km ) – twice the size of Pardee – but is not directly linked to

928-481: The views comes from the highway's designation as a California Scenic Highway . On the other side of the tunnel, SR 24 travels through unincorporated Contra Costa County before entering Orinda . SR 24 crosses the Mokelumne Aqueduct soon after entering the city of Lafayette . SR 24 terminates at the intersection with Interstate 680 just inside the city limits of Walnut Creek . The Yellow Line of

960-611: The water system by San Francisco. In 1923, the EBMUD was organized and in 1924 acquired water rights to the Mokelumne River, a major tributary in the San Joaquin River system. On November 4, 1924, residents approved $ 39 million in bonds to finance the project. Construction began in 1926 and by 1929, the 345-foot (105 m) high, concrete arch Pardee Dam and the First Mokelumne Aqueduct, consisting of

992-554: Was opened for revenue service on May 21, 1973, with the Concord line. Material removed in the construction of the tunnel was used as fill for a concurrent expansion of the Port of Oakland . On December 4, 2013, a BART train suffered mechanical braking problems and made an emergency stop in the tunnel near Rockridge station . Eleven people were treated for smoke inhalation . California State Route 24 State Route 24 ( SR 24 )

Berkeley Hills Tunnel - Misplaced Pages Continue

1024-482: Was re-designated Route 13. Route 24 used to extend much further east. The section of Interstate 680 between the current terminus of SR 24 and State Route 242 was dual-signed I-680 and SR 24 until c.  1987 ; State Route 242 which runs primarily in Concord was signed as Route 24 until the same time. Older maps show routes for 24 which continue along State Route 4 from the current intersection of 242 to

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