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80-630: The east–west tunnel is signed as a part of California State Route 24 and connects Oakland to central Contra Costa County . It is named after Thomas E. Caldecott (1878–1951), who was mayor of Berkeley in 1930–1932, a member of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors in 1933–1945, and president of Joint Highway District 13, which built the first two bores. Bore 1 (the southernmost bore) and Bore 2 were completed in 1937; they are 3,610 ft (1,100 m) in length and today carry two lanes each of eastbound traffic. Bore 3, completed in 1964,

160-644: A new earthquake-resisting technique that would not collapse in an earthquake similar to the Loma Prieta earthquake. The new eastern span opened on September 2, 2013, at an estimated cost of $ 6.4 billion (equivalent to $ 8.26 billion in 2023 ). In May 2022, Caltrans began construction on 18-mile (29 km) high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes along I-80 between Red Top Road in Fairfield and Leisure Town Road in Vacaville . The project includes converting

240-491: A new freeway through San Francisco . According to the article, the suggested 19th Avenue tunnel would run five miles (8.0 km), from Junipero Serra Boulevard through Golden Gate Park and up to Lake Street, with exits at Brotherhood Avenue, Ocean Avenue, Quintara Street, Lincoln Way , and Geary Boulevard . The Van Ness tunnel would run almost two miles (3.2 km), from about Fell Street to Lombard Street , with exits at Broadway and Geary Boulevard. Along Oak and Fell,

320-648: A new tunnel construction project at the approximate location of the old Kennedy tunnel attempt. The work on the Contra Costa side proceeded based on the old tunnel alignment while work on the Alameda County side started from the top of Temescal Canyon. On the west side, the project involved the construction of a proper approach road. The new road, dubbed "Tunnel Road", was built from the top of Russell Street in Berkeley (later realigned with Ashby Avenue) at

400-567: A result of the fire, it is now illegal to transport hazardous material in a tanker truck through the tunnel, except between the light-traffic hours of 3:00 am and 5:00 am. On October 20, 1991, the catastrophic Oakland firestorm started on the ridge north of the Caldecott Tunnel. The fire spread quickly west down both sides of the west portal of the tunnel and jumped the freeway, eventually killing 25 people and destroying over 3,000 homes, apartments and condominiums. The Caldecott Tunnel

480-747: 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 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

560-519: 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 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

640-614: Is SR 51 ). SR 244 heads east as a short freeway spur from that interchange. Crossing the Sierra Nevada , I-80 regularly gets snow at higher elevations from fall to spring. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) sometimes requires vehicles to use snow tires , snow chains , or other traction devices in the mountains during and after snowstorms . Checkpoints are often set up to enforce chain restrictions on vehicles bound for icy or snowy areas. When chain restrictions are in effect, vehicles must have chains on

720-470: Is 3,771 ft (1,149 m) in length. Bore 4 (the northernmost bore), completed in 2013, is 3,389 ft (1,033 m) in length. Bores 3 and 4 carry two lanes each of westbound traffic. The active Hayward Fault runs just west of the western portals of the tunnel. In the 19th century, traffic over the Berkeley Hills in this area went up Harwood Canyon, now known as Claremont Canyon (behind

800-645: Is a substantial section of highway passing through a "memorable landscape" with no "visual intrusions", where the potential designation has gained popular favor with 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

880-797: Is a transcontinental Interstate Highway in the United States, stretching from San Francisco, California , to Teaneck, New Jersey . The segment of I-80 in California runs east from San Francisco across the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge to Oakland , where it turns north and crosses the Carquinez Bridge before turning back northeast through the Sacramento Valley . I-80 then traverses the Sierra Nevada , cresting at Donner Summit , before crossing into

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960-572: 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 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

1040-475: Is located in Nevada County, California . The pass is generally open year-round; it is plowed in winter but may temporarily close during the worst snowstorms. The older, original US 40/Lincoln Highway route over Donner Pass is about two miles (3.2 km) to the south. This highway was replaced as the official trans-Sierra route by I-80 in 1964. Although the current Donner Pass is lower, Euer Saddle

1120-553: Is now in private property owned by the East Bay Regional Park District, on the former site of the Canary Cafe. The tunnel was dedicated on November 4, 1903 as the "Inter-County Tunnel". A system of lighting a small fire with a newspaper was used to control this one-way traffic. The tunnel height was increased in 1915 by 3 feet to accommodate larger vehicles. After the new Broadway (Caldecott) tunnel

1200-494: Is now used for three railroad stations. In 1980, the new I-80 alignment was deleted from the Interstate System. SR 244 was then truncated from its proposed alignment to the only freeway section of the abandoned project in 1994, which is about a mile (1.6 km) long. In 1982–1984, I-880 was reassigned to SR 17 running from Oakland to San Jose , after two to four years of inactivity. On October 17, 1989,

1280-781: Is recognized as the Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway in the Western United States and a Blue Star Memorial Highway for its entire length. In California, it follows the original corridor of the Lincoln Highway from Sacramento to Reno (with minor deviations near Donner Summit ). I-80 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

1360-628: The 1964 state highway renumbering . US 40 was one of the original California routes designed in 1926, although its west end was in Oakland with US 101E (then SR 17 , then I-5W , now I-580 / I-880 ) prior to the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge opening in 1936. An auto ferry ran from Berkeley to San Francisco, signed at the ferry landings for US 40. After the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge's construction, US 40, along with US 50 , were extended along

1440-570: The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) rejected the numbering. The state law authorizing the renumbering was passed on September 20, 1963. Signage changes took place by July 1, 1964, and US 40 was decommissioned. US 40 was one of the first US Routes to be decommissioned completely in California. In the Sacramento area, I-80 has been realigned to many routes. In 1964, I-80 used

1520-536: The Beckwourth Pass , at an elevation of 5,221 feet (1,591 m). Driving across the Sierra Nevada became far easier with the construction of I-80 across Donner Summit since that pass is closed only for intense snowstorms. In 1964, Caltrans desired to reduce the number of designated routes in the California state highways system. The Interstate Highway System , designed and built starting in 1956,

1600-612: 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 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

1680-679: The Carquinez Bridge . I-580 splits from the Eastshore Freeway at an interchange known locally as the "Hoffman Split" in Albany . The section of the Eastshore Freeway between the MacArthur Maze and I-580 (Hoffman) split between Albany is a wrong-way concurrency where the northbound direction is signed as I-80 east and I-580 west, while the southbound direction is signed as westbound I-80 and eastbound I-580. This segment suffers from severe traffic congestion during rush hour due to

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1760-537: The Claremont Hotel ). The road leading up the canyon from the west was initially called Harwood's Road, later changed to Telegraph Road , and finally, Claremont. The road on the other side of the hills became known as Fish Ranch Road, its current name, some time after 1870, the year the Oakland Trout Company incorporated its fish and frog farm in the vicinity. An inn and stage coach stop called

1840-635: 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 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

1920-526: The Loma Prieta earthquake was responsible for 63 deaths and 3,757 injuries. The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge , which is part of I-80, suffered severe damage, as a 76-by-50-foot (23 m × 15 m) section of the upper deck on the eastern cantilever side fell onto the deck below. The quake caused the Oakland side of the bridge to shift seven inches (18 cm) to the east and caused

2000-548: 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 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

2080-783: The Sacramento area. Currently, the freeway runs on a northern bypass of the city, the Beltline Freeway, that was originally designated I-880. The I-80 routing alignment was moved from a route through Sacramento, now US 50 and I-80 Business (I-80 Bus), after the proposed I-80 replacement of the North Sacramento Freeway was canceled. The Beltline Freeway runs northeast from the junction of I-80 and US 50 in West Sacramento across I-5 to its junction northeast of Sacramento with I-80 Bus (which

2160-656: The San Francisco Bay Area : In addition, I-238 may be considered associated with I-80 even though it does not follow established rules for numbering Interstates as there is no I-38. As it connects I-580 in Castro Valley with I-880 in San Leandro , it would normally also use a three-digit number ending in 80. But, of the nine possible numbers, two ( 180 and 480 ) were in use by State Routes (the latter an Interstate until 1968 though SR 480

2240-645: 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 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 . Eastshore Highway Interstate 80 ( I-80 )

2320-654: 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 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

2400-813: The Panhandle Freeway project. A January 1968 amendment moved I-280 to its present alignment, degraded I-480 to a state highway, and truncated the origin point of I-80 to the Embarcadero Freeway (then I-280, formerly I-480). Prior to that truncation, I-80 had been defined as from "Route 280 in San Francisco to the Nevada state line near Verdi, Nevada, passing near Division Street in San Francisco, passing near Oakland, via Albany, via Sacramento, passing near North Sacramento, passing near Roseville, via Auburn, via Emigrant Gap, via Truckee and via

2480-652: The SR ;241 designation has since been reassigned to an unrelated stretch of highway in Orange County .) The San Francisco Skyway, which had already been signed as part of I-80, has remained a de facto section of I-80 to the present day and remains listed as part of the Interstate in California. In 2000, the San Francisco Chronicle published an article about the proposed construction of

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2560-703: The Sierra Nevada north of historic US 40. When I-80 was first approved, it was to begin at planned I-280 ( SR 1 ) in Golden Gate Park , head east on the never-built Panhandle Freeway , then run south and southeast on the Central Freeway (US 101) to the San Francisco Skyway. The Panhandle Freeway was to be routed through Hayes Valley , passing through Golden Gate Park and terminating at proposed I-280, now SR 1. In 1964, community oppositions forced Caltrans to abandon

2640-491: The Summit House once existed at the summit. The idea of a tunnel through the hills began as early as 1860. In that year, the idea was proposed and rejected by the citizens of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. It was revived in 1871 in a private attempt led by L.W. Kennedy which however failed after boring about 200 feet into the hills from the east side of the hills above the location of today's Caldecott Tunnel when water

2720-482: The Truckee River Canyon", and certain maps had been shown of I-80 running concurrently with US 101 to Fell Street. These changes were made on the state level later that year, but Route 80 was only truncated to US 101. (The Central Freeway remained part of US 101, and the Panhandle Freeway became SR 241. The Panhandle Freeway was later canceled in the wake of freeway revolts , and

2800-507: The approaches began in 1931. On June 17, 1934, construction of the first two bores of the Caldecott Tunnel began. The project included an extension of Broadway from its existing termination point below the hills some two miles from the planned west portal of the new tunnel. This required some major earth-moving efforts, both cutting and filling as well as buttressing, especially up in Temescal Canyon. This included filling in one of

2880-404: 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 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

2960-427: The bolts of one section to shear off, sending the 250-short-ton (230 t; 220-long-ton) section of roadbed crashing down like a trapdoor. Caltrans removed and replaced the collapsed section and reopened the bridge on November 18. In 2002, due to the risk of a future large earthquake, Caltrans started building a new eastern span. The department advertised that the new span of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge used

3040-685: The bridge to connect with US 101 . The auto ferry service was then discontinued. US 40 and US 50 both followed the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge and the routes split on what is the present day MacArthur Maze in Oakland. US 50 continued southeast on present-day I-580 to Stockton and US 40 closely followed the route of present-day I-80. When reaching Sacramento , US 40 and US 50 rejoined, US 50 running concurrently with former US 99 from Stockton to Sacramento. US 40 then again split with US 50 in Downtown Sacramento and closely followed

3120-623: The country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). I-80 is also known as the Dutch Flat and Donner Lake Wagon Road from Emigrant Gap to Donner Lake. The segment of I-80 from Emigrant Gap to Truckee also forms part of the Yuba–Donner Scenic Byway , a National Forest Scenic Byway . According to the California Streets and Highways Code, most maps, and local signs, I-80 begins at

3200-421: The driving wheels, except 4WD vehicles with snow tires. Additionally, during the winter season, trucks are required to carry chains whether or not controls are in force. I-80 crosses the Sierra Nevada crest at Donner Summit (also known as Euer Saddle) at an elevation of 7,239 feet (2,206 m) westbound and 7,227 feet (2,203 m) eastbound. The Donner Summit Rest Area is located at this point. The summit

3280-612: The entire length of the east shore of San Francisco Bay. Until the late 1960s, the Eastshore Freeway was also designated as part of State Route 17 (SR 17) together with the Nimitz Freeway. This section of I-80 has a top speed of 65 mph (105 km/h), unlike California's top speed limit of 70 mph (110 km/h), common in rural freeways. I-80 is a six- to eight-lane freeway with carpool lanes in Fairfield between exit 39A (Red Top Road) and exit 47 (Air Base Parkway). I-80 has changed routing in

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3360-677: The existing 8-mile (13 km) carpool lanes between Red Top Road and Air Base Parkway. Scheduled to open in 2025, the HOT lanes will use an open road tolling system, and therefore no toll booths to receive cash, with each vehicle required to carry a FasTrak transponder. In May 2024, the California Transportation Commission approved $ 105 million for a project that would add HOT lanes between Davis and West Sacramento . The following auxiliary Interstate Highways are associated with I-80 in California, all in

3440-473: The foot of Claremont Canyon and ran around the spur separating that canyon from Temescal Canyon, climbing along the slope of the spur to the summit of the Berkeley Hills until it reached the west portal of the new tunnel. The west end of the tunnel was at about 37°51′22″N 122°12′49″W  /  37.8561°N 122.2137°W  / 37.8561; -122.2137 while the east end of the tunnel

3520-557: 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 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

3600-533: The inlets of Lake Temescal as well as part of the upper canyon where Broadway was to run. The entire project was completed in 1937, and the tunnel opened to traffic on December 5 of that year. The tunnel was named the Broadway Low Level Tunnel (commonly shortened to Broadway Tunnel ), since the principal through access was from Broadway in Oakland, and was located below the portal of the old Inter County Tunnel. However, access from Ashby Avenue

3680-637: The interchange with US 101 in San Francisco. However, federal records place the western terminus of I-80 at the western approach to the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge , at the location of the Fremont Street offramp (previously known as the Terminal Separator Structure that once connected it to the Embarcadero Freeway ). The federal and state governments disagree as to whether this westernmost segment of

3760-406: The island. The fourth bore contains a roadway with two 12-foot-wide (3.7 m) traffic lanes, one 10-foot-wide (3.0 m) shoulder, and one 2-foot-wide (0.6 m) shoulder, ventilation, air and traffic monitoring systems, traffic lights, and electronic message boards. There are emergency exits to the third bore. When the fourth bore was opened to traffic, the need for the daily traffic reversal

3840-476: The location today of the El Cerrito del Norte station of Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). It was not a freeway in that access was at intersections with adjoining streets rather than by ramps. The Eastshore Highway ran from El Cerrito to the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge along the same routing as today's freeway, although it was much narrower. A causeway was constructed for this purpose by filling in part of

3920-508: The many traffic signals , yield signs , and stop signs that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Caltrans listed five intersections with high accident rates and claimed construction of I-80 would reduce such accidents. According to a study done on I-80 in Vallejo from 1955 and 1956, prior to the freeway construction, and 1957 and 1958, after the freeway was constructed, the accident rate dropped 73 percent and there were 245 fewer accidents on

4000-600: The material excavated for the third bore was used in the construction of embankments for the MacArthur Freeway project between the MacArthur Maze and Broadway in Oakland. In the late 1960s, the Grove-Shafter Freeway was completed and replaced Broadway as the main route to the Caldecott Tunnel from Oakland as well as replacing Ashby for traffic coming from San Francisco. Ashby Avenue and Tunnel Road were redesignated State Highway 13 and aligned with

4080-667: The merger of three freeways (I-80, I-580, and I-880 ) at the MacArthur Maze. The Eastshore Freeway was created in the mid-1950s (construction commenced in 1954, last segment completed May 10, 1960 ) by reengineering the Eastshore Highway, a thoroughfare constructed in the 1930s (1934–1937) as one of the approaches to the Bay Bridge and designated as part of US 40 . The Eastshore Highway began in El Cerrito at an intersection with San Pablo Avenue at Hill Street between Potrero Avenue and Cutting Boulevard, adjacent to

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4160-448: The mudflats along the bayshore. In the stretch from University to Ashby avenues in Berkeley , this resulted in the creation of an artificial lagoon which was developed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the late 1930s as Aquatic Park . The frontage road along the east side of today's Eastshore Freeway between Buchanan Street in Albany and Hearst Avenue in Berkeley retains the name "Eastshore Highway". The terminal segment of

4240-486: The new Warren Freeway through the Montclair District of Oakland. The Grove-Shafter Freeway was then designated State Highway 24. In 1980, the freeway was renamed after William Byron Rumford . On April 7, 1982, an accident involving a gasoline tanker truck in the third (then-northernmost) bore set off the Caldecott Tunnel fire . The accident caused major damage and the bore was closed to traffic for several months while repairs were made, with traffic temporarily reverting to

4320-415: The old Eastshore Highway in El Cerrito between Potrero and San Pablo avenues is today named "Eastshore Boulevard". Originally, the name "Eastshore Freeway" was also applied to what is today known as the " Nimitz Freeway " (I-880) from the beginning of its construction in 1947. This freeway was dedicated in 1958 to Chester W. Nimitz , and so, for a few years in the 1950s prior, the Eastshore Freeway stretched

4400-421: The old US 40/ US 99E freeway, the current I-80 Bus , while, a year later, I-80 was proposed to be realigned along a new freeway that would run south of the former I-80/I-880 northeast of Sacramento, run to south of the American River , and rejoin I-80. This was necessary because the 1964 I-80 failed to meet Interstate standards . In 1972, I-880 was completed, while a part of the new alignment of I-80

4480-454: The other bores were closed one at a time for maintenance, including the installation of a continuous row of fluorescent lights. The new third bore made it possible to provide four lanes to accommodate the heavier commute-direction traffic by reversing the traffic flow of the middle bore. The third bore also brought new technology to the tunnel with the installation of the "pop-up" lane control. Plastic lane delineators were set in tubes within

4560-484: The pavement. With the touch of a button, water would fill tubes to cause the delineators to pop up from the pavement; the middle bore was closed to one direction of travel, while opening it to another. During the week, the middle bore of the Caldecott was reversed between 2:00 am and 5:00 am to favor westbound traffic, and then switched again sometime between 11:30 am and noon to favor eastbound traffic. Ballgames, concerts and other events made balancing weekend traffic through

4640-462: The planners suggested an underground road running more than 0.5 miles (0.80 km) from Laguna to Divisadero streets. However, the roads would violate the long-standing general plan for San Francisco, which calls for no new highway capacity. In March 2015, this proposed route was adopted by the California Transportation Commission (CTC). Prior to the construction of I-80, the US 40 corridor suffered from frequent car accidents. Reasons included

4720-418: The pre-third-bore configuration. During the fire, the tunnel acted as a natural chimney, venting the smoke, flames and heat uphill towards the eastern entrance to the tunnel. The accident and fire killed seven people, most of whom were overcome by toxic smoke . The fire occurred shortly after midnight when there were few cars in the tunnel; had it occurred during normal commute hours, hundreds could have died. As

4800-412: The project was stalled as a result of the financial crisis of 2007–2008 , but was quickly back on track as a beneficiary of President Obama's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Construction got underway until completion in 2013. Much of the excavated material from the bore was trucked to Treasure Island for use in soil augmentation and remediation during the subsequent redevelopment of

4880-411: The reverse can occur. 37°51′17″N 122°13′00″W  /  37.8548°N 122.2166°W  / 37.8548; -122.2166 California State Route 24 State Route 24 ( SR 24 ) 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

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4960-488: The route of present-day I-80 Bus , which was I-80 from 1957 to 1981, when I-80 was realigned along former I-880, routing along what was then the outskirts of Sacramento. US 40 then closely followed I-80 through the Sierra Nevada into Nevada. A portion of old US 40 near Donner Lake is still intact and is an alternate route of I-80. It begins near Soda Springs and ends at Truckee . At one point, it travels right by Donner Lake, unlike I-80, which ascends higher in

5040-437: The signed Interstate, known as the San Francisco Skyway or Bayshore Viaduct, is actually part of the Interstate Highway System , although it is consistently shown as I-80 on most maps of San Francisco. The Eastshore Freeway is a segment of I-80 and I-580 along the northeast shoreline of San Francisco Bay . It runs from the MacArthur Maze interchange just east of the eastern end of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge to

5120-526: The state of Nevada within the Truckee River Canyon. The speed limit is at most 65 mph (105 km/h) along the entire route instead of the state's maximum of 70 mph (110 km/h) as most of the route is in either urban areas or mountainous terrain. I-80 has portions designated as the Eastshore Freeway and Alan S. Hart Freeway. Throughout California, I-80 was built along the corridor of US Route 40 (US 40), eventually replacing this designation entirely. The prior US 40 corridor itself

5200-419: 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 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

5280-432: The then-new I-80 freeway. The new route also made traveling across the Sierra Nevada far easier. Before construction, US 40 was a two-lane undivided highway with winding turns. This route was often closed in the winter because of the high elevation of the Donner Pass (7,239 feet (2,206 m)), and drivers had to use a much longer route to the north, US 40 Alternate (US 40 Alt), now SR 70 , using

5360-408: The traffic counts and the expense of tunnel construction, the construction of two additional bores would have been seen as unnecessary and extravagant. However, with the traffic count exceeding 50,000 vehicles per day, the state embarked on a project to build a third bore at the Caldecott Tunnel. The project broke ground in 1960 and was opened to traffic in October 1964. When the third bore was opened,

5440-434: The tunnel very difficult. It was not uncommon to reverse the middle bore six times on a Saturday or Sunday. The pop-up system still required substantial manpower to implement. While it did eliminate the need to set down individual cones to separate traffic, Caltrans maintenance workers had to direct traffic out of the closing lanes to prevent vehicles from getting caught on the wrong side of the pop-up delineators. A portion of

5520-411: Was adding on to the already increased number of US Routes and state highways . In result, the 1964 renumbering truncated US 50 to West Sacramento . The entire route of US 40 was deleted in the Western United States due to the completion of I-80. Also, the number "40" was duplicated along I-40 , at that time, a newly built route in Southern California . I-40 was to be numbered I-30 , but

5600-454: Was built along several historic corridors in California, notably the California Trail and Lincoln Highway . The route has changed from the original plans in San Francisco due to freeway revolts canceling segments of the originally planned alignment. Similarly in Sacramento , the freeway was rerouted around the city after plans to upgrade the original grandfathered route through the city to Interstate Highway standards were canceled. I-80

5680-408: Was chosen for the Interstate because of more gradual approaches that aided construction to Interstate Highway standards , which do not allow the sharp curves used by the Donner Pass Road. The grade is three to six percent for 30 miles (48 km). In California I-80 was built along the line of, and eventually replaced, US 40 . The US 40 designation was eliminated in the state as part of

5760-568: Was completed but not open to traffic, where there was a long bridge to nowhere. From 1972 to 1980, I-880 began in West Sacramento as a fork from the original I-80, continues northeast over the Sacramento River to its interchange with I-5 , continues east through the communities of North Sacramento and Del Paso Heights , and ends at an interchange with the Roseville Freeway (I-80). The now-designated Capital City Freeway

5840-584: Was designated a City of Oakland Landmark in 1980, and received a Preservation Award from the Art Deco Society of California in 1993. To relieve traffic congestion in the reverse commute direction, the California Department of Transportation began planning for a fourth bore in 2000. In 2007, the California Transportation Commission approved the final funding needed to build the fourth bore. Construction started in 2010. Commencement of

5920-438: Was eliminated; two bores (four lanes) serve each direction at all times, although individual bores may be closed during periods of light use for maintenance purposes. Weather conditions can vary greatly from one end of the tunnel to the other. In summer, for example, motorists may enter the tunnel from the east where it is sunny and warm, and emerge on the west end into fog and cold. In winter, during spells of inland tule fog ,

6000-580: Was opened at the end of 1937, the old tunnel was used mostly by pedestrians until it was sealed in 1947. In November 1926, the Counties of Alameda and Contra Costa, and the City of Oakland agreed to the construction of a new tunnel through the Berkeley Hills to replace the old, small, decrepit and increasingly inadequate existing tunnel. In 1929, Alameda and Contra Costa County formed Joint Highway District 13 to accomplish this goal. Surveys and preliminary work on

6080-460: Was renamed, becoming the Caldecott Tunnel. By 1960, the Division of Highways had rebuilt the eastern approach to the tunnel into a freeway. With Contra Costa County accessible by freeway, its change from an agricultural community into a major suburb accelerated. The Division of Highways purchased sufficient right-of-way to the north of the existing twin bores to build another pair of bores. Given

6160-469: Was retained as it was designated the connecting thoroughfare from the Eastshore Highway (re-engineered as a freeway in the mid 1950s) and the new San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge , and dubbed State Highway 24. The approach to the east portal on the other side of the Berkeley Hills was via Mount Diablo Boulevard, also at that time part of State Highway 24. In 1960, the Broadway Low Level Tunnel

6240-591: 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 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

6320-490: Was struck, washing out the work. Bankruptcy followed and the effort, which came to be known as the "old Kennedy tunnel" was abandoned. A franchise was subsequently granted to a group of developers who passed the franchise onto another group. The proposal languished until the turn of the century. Just before the end of the 19th century, the tunnel idea was revived and discussed by business and government representatives of Contra Costa and Alameda Counties. These discussions led to

6400-594: Was then the original I-80 routing, continuing southwest directly into downtown Sacramento. I-80 was then rerouted along the Beltline Freeway in 1983, while the Capital City Freeway became I-80 Bus, also I-305 and SR 51. I-880 would have intersected SR 244 and then US 50 , but, in 1979, the Sacramento City Council voted to delete the proposed I-80 alignment for rail transit. The constructed I-80/SR 51/SR 244 split

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