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For Immediate Release

Groundbreaking Scheduled for New Carquinez Bridge

CONTACT:

Greg Bayol, Caltrans
510.286.6169

Reka Goode
510.464.7706

OAKLAND, CA, March 2, 2000 . . . Motorists driving along Interstate 80 between Vallejo and Crockett will soon see a graceful suspension bridge taking shape to the west of the existing Carquinez Bridge. A construction project to replace the older of the two spans that make up the bridge will get a ceremonial kickoff on Friday, March 3, 2000, at 10:30 a.m., at the Caltrans Public Information Office overlooking the bridge in Crockett. A slate of dignitaries headed by Congressman George Miller, State Sen. Richard Rainey and Assemblymember Tom Torlakson will help break ground for the project. Participants in the event also will include John Ferrera, Assistant Secretary for Transportation, State Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, as well as representatives of local and regional agencies that have played a key role in the planning, design and funding of the new bridge (see list of speakers below).

Scheduled to be open to traffic by early 2003, the $340 million bridge replacement project is one of several major Bay Area bridge projects that are in the works, funded by Regional Measure 1 — the 1988 voter-approved ballot measure that raised tolls on the region's seven state-owned toll bridges to a uniform $1 to fund a package of transportation improvements.

While both the east and west spans of the Carquinez Bridge were deemed to require seismic retrofitting, replacing the 1927-built west span with a brand new structure makes more sense for a number of reasons. Accessibility to and maintenance of the west span's deteriorating metal structural members is difficult, and major rehabilitation is virtually impossible while the bridge is being used for traffic. The eastbound span (built in 1958) is currently being strengthened as part of Caltrans' toll bridge seismic retrofit program. The retrofit is expected to be completed by mid-2001.

The new, wider span will have room for a fourth lane — to accommodate carpools, vanpools and buses — as well as a pedestrian/bicycle lane. As part of the project, the Interstate 80 interchange in Crockett also will be rebuilt. To improve local access and provide a detour while the Crockett interchange is under construction, Cummings Skyway has been extended from its intersection with I-80 west to San Pablo Avenue in a joint Contra Costa County/Caltrans project.

Caltrans is responsible for the design and construction of the replacement bridge, while funding and oversight lie in the hands of the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA), whose members also serve on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), the transportation planning, funding and coordinating agency for the nine Bay Area counties.

The groundbreaking will be emceed jointly by Sharon J. Brown, city councilmember from San Pablo and vice chair of MTC/BATA, and by Gayle Uilkema, Contra Costa County supervisor. Confirmed speakers include

  • Congressman George Miller,
  • State Sen. Richard Rainey,
  • Assemblymember Tom Torlakson,
  • John Ferrera, Assistant Secretary for Transportation, State Business, Transportation and Housing Agency,
  • MTC/BATA Commissioner and Contra Costa County Supervisor Mark DeSaulnier,
  • MTC/BATA Commissioner and Mayor of Suisun City James P. Spering,
  • Solano County Supervisor John Silva,
  • Contra Costa Transportation Authority Chair Millie Greenberg,
  • Solano Transportation Authority Chair Dan Donahue, and
  • Kent Peterson, Crockett Improvement Association.

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