Interstate 80 in California

Interstate 80
Route information
Defined by S&HC § 380
Maintained by Caltrans
Length: 207.554 mi[3] (334.026 km)
Existed: August 7, 1947 by FHWA[1]
June 26, 1956
July 1, 1964 by Caltrans[2] – present
Major junctions
West end: US 101 in San Francisco
  I-580 / I-880 in Oakland
I-780 in Vallejo
I-680 in Fairfield
I-505 in Vacaville
US 50 in West Sacramento
I-5 in Sacramento
East end: I-80 at Nevada state line
Highway system

Main route of the Interstate Highway System
Main • Auxiliary • Business

State highways in California(list • pre-1964)
History • Unconstructed • Deleted • Freeway • Scenic

← SR 79 SR 82 →

In the U.S. state of California, Interstate 80 (I-80), a major east–west route of the Interstate Highway System, has its western terminus (ending point) in San Francisco, California, United States. From there it heads east across the Bay Bridge to Oakland, where it turns north and crosses the Carquinez Bridge before turning back northeast through the Sacramento Valley. I-80 then goes northeast and east over the Sierra Nevada mountain range before crossing into the state of Nevada within the Truckee (River) Canyon. The speed limit is 65 miles per hour instead of 70 since the road passes exclusively through urban and mountainous areas in California.

Contents

Route description

I-80 is recognized as the Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway and a Blue Star Memorial Highway for its entire length. It was part of the Lincoln Highway from Sacramento to Reno (except in vicinity of Donner Summit). I-80 is also known as the Kent D. Pursel Memorial Freeway from the Bay Bridge to the Alameda/Contra Costa County line, the Linus F. Claeys Freeway from SR 4 to the Carquinez Bridge, the Alan S. Hart Freeway from the Sacramento/Placer County line to the Nevada state line, and the Dutch Flat and Donner Lake Wagon Road from Emigrant Gap to Donner Lake (except in vicinity of Donner Summit).[4]

West end in San Francisco

According to the California State Highway system, I-80 begins at its intersection with U.S. Route 101 in San Francisco. However, the San Francisco Skyway (officially known to Caltrans as the Bayshore Viaduct), the elevated freeway that runs from this junction of the James Lick Freeway and the Central Freeway to the Western Approach of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge at 4th Street, may not be officially part of the Interstate Highway System, although it is consistently shown as I-80 on most maps of San Francisco. The Interstate designation is interpreted by some to actually beginning on the Bay Bridge approach itself, at the location of the Fremont Street off-ramp (previously known as the Terminal Separator Structure (TSS) that once connected it to the Embarcadero Freeway). Thus, the first 1.20 miles (1.93 km) of the signed Interstate may not be officially an actual Interstate.[5][6]

When I-80 was first approved, it was to begin at planned I-280 (CA 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. A January 1968 amendment moved I-280 to its present alignment, removed Interstate 480, and truncated the origin point of I-80 to the Embarcadero Freeway (then I-280, formerly I-480).[1] 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 State Route 241. The Panhandle Freeway was later cancelled in the wake of the Freeway Revolts, and the State Route 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 Interstate 80 to the present day and remains listed as part of Interstate 80 in California.

Eastshore Freeway

The Eastshore Freeway is a segment of Interstates 80 and 580 along the northeast shoreline of San Francisco Bay in northern California. It begins at the Carquinez Bridge and ends at the MacArthur Maze interchange just east of the eastern end of the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge. Interstate 580 joins the Eastshore Freeway at an interchange in Albany. The section of the Eastshore Freeway between the MacArthur Maze and the 580 split in 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 I-80 west and I-580 east.

The Eastshore Freeway was created in the mid 1950s (construction commenced in 1954) by re-engineering the Eastshore Highway, a thoroughfare constructed in the 1930s (1937–39) as one of the approaches to the Bay Bridge and designated as part of U.S. Route 40.[7] The Eastshore Highway began in El Cerrito at an intersection with San Pablo Avenue at Hill Street between Potrero Avenue and Cutting Blvd., adjacent to the location today of the El Cerrito Del Norte station of 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 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 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 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 the old Eastshore Highway in El Cerrito between Potrero and San Pablo Avenues is today named "Eastshore Blvd.".

Originally, the name "Eastshore Freeway" was applied first to what is today known as the "Nimitz Freeway" (I-880) upon its construction in 1947. This freeway was dedicated in 1958 to Admiral Nimitz, and so for a few years in the 1950s prior, the Eastshore Freeway stretched the entire length of the east shore of San Francisco Bay. (Caltrans still shows this in its current highway name book referenced below - see p.16, p.28 of PDF) Until the late 1960s, the Eastshore Freeway was also designated as part of State Highway 17 together with the Nimitz.

The Eastshore Freeway was officially re-named the "Kent D. Pursel Memorial Freeway"[8] in 1968, but it is hardly recognized as such by the public. The maps of the California State Automobile Association (CSAA), for instance, still show the name "Eastshore Freeway".

The interchange where I-580 joins I-80 is still known locally as the "Hoffman Split", an allusion to the time before the I-580 freeway replaced Hoffman Blvd. as the highway leading to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. The same interchange today also serves the Buchanan Street exit in Albany.

The section of the Eastshore Freeway between the MacArthur Maze and the 80/580 split suffers from severe traffic congestion during rush hour due to the merger of three freeways (Interstate 80, Interstate 580, and Interstate 880) at the MacArthur Maze.

Sacramento portion

See also: Interstate 80 Business (Sacramento, California)

Legislative Route 242 was defined in 1957, connecting pre-1964 Legislative Route 6 west of Sacramento to pre-1964 Legislative Route 3 northeast of Sacramento.[9] Interstate 880, a bypass of I-80, was approved along Legislative Route 242 by the American Association of State Highway Officials on November 10, 1958.[1] The Route 880 designation was adopted by the state in the 1964 renumbering; the bypass was completed in 1972.

Interstate 80 has run north of Sacramento on the Beltline Freeway which was originally Interstate 880, a bypass freeway. The I-80 routing alignment was moved from a route through Sacramento, now Interstate 80 Business, after the proposed Interstate 80 replacement of the North Sacramento Freeway was cancelled. The Beltline Freeway runs northeast from the junction of I-80 and I-80 Business (U.S. Route 50 there) in West Sacramento across Interstate 5 to its junction northeast of Sacramento with I-80 Business (which is State Route 51). State Route 244 heads east as a short freeway spur from that interchange.

Sierra Nevada portion

Crossing the Sierra Nevada, I-80 regularly gets snow at higher elevations from fall to spring. Caltrans sometimes requires vehicles to use snow tires, snow chains or other traction devices in the mountains during and after snowstorms.[10] 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 the driving wheels, except 4WD vehicles with snow tires.[11]

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.[12] The summit 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 Lincoln Highway route (Historical U.S. 40) over Donner Pass is about two miles (3 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 was chosen for the interstate because of more gradual approaches. Portions of I-80 through the Sierra-Nevada mountain range are in rough condition. The concrete road surface is badly cracked and eroded due to severe weather that occurs in the area and a result of an outdated concrete paving system of the 1950s and 1960s where the concrete was poured in 40 foot sections, as compared to a monolithic pour, (as is used in today's road construction). All the older concrete highways across the nation also suffer from this. Work is underway to fix the driving lanes.[13]

Exit list

Note: Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured on the road as it was in 1964, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. The numbers reset at county lines; the start and end postmiles in each county are given in the county column.

County Location Postmile
[3][14][15]		 Exit
[16]		 Destinations Notes
San Francisco
SF 3.84-8.85		 3.95 1 US 101 (James Lick Freeway, Central Freeway) – San Jose, Golden Gate Bridge Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; signed as exits 1A (south) and 1B (north)
1C Ninth Street – San Francisco Civic Center Signed as exit 433C on US 101 northbound
4.40 1 Seventh Street Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
5.45 2A Fifth Street Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
5.45 2B Fourth Street, Embarcadero Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
5.59 2C Harrison Street, Embarcadero Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; former SR 480
5.59 2D Fremont Street, Folsom Street Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; former SR 480
San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge (west span) over San Francisco Bay
7.72 4A Treasure Island Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only; westbound exit and eastbound entrance are via exit 4/4B
7.72 4B Yerba Buena Island Signed as exit 4 westbound; eastbound exit and westbound entrance currently closed due to construction of new eastern span
San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge (east span) over San Francisco Bay
Alameda
ALA 0.00-8.04		 Oakland
2.51 8A West Grand Avenue, Maritime Street
2.80 8A I-880 south (Nimitz Freeway) – Alameda, San Jose Westbound exit is part of exit 8B
2.80 8B I-580 east (MacArthur Freeway) to SR 24 – Downtown Oakland, Hayward, Stockton West end of I-580 overlap; westbound exit and eastbound entrance
Emeryville 3.79 9 Powell Street – Emeryville No eastbound exit from I-880 north
Berkeley 4.58 10 SR 13 (Ashby Avenue) / Shellmound Street Shellmound Street accessible eastbound only
5.82 11 University Avenue – Berkeley Serves UC Berkeley
6.62 12 Gilman Street
Albany R7.30 13A Buchanan Street – Albany Signed as exit 13 westbound
R7.30 13B I-580 west – Point Richmond, San Rafael Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; east end of I-580 overlap
Pierce Street Former eastbound exit and entrance; demolished as part of reconstruction of I-80 / I-580 interchange in Albany
Contra Costa
CC 0.00-14.14		 Richmond 0.22 14A Central Avenue – El Cerrito
1.00 14B Carlson Boulevard
El Cerrito 1.67 15 Potrero Avenue Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
Richmond 2.04 15 SR 123 (Cutting Boulevard) Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
2.62 16A MacDonald Avenue Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
2.96 16B San Pablo Avenue, Barrett Avenue Signed as exit 16 westbound; Barrett Avenue formerly signed as Central Richmond
3.41 17 Solano Avenue Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
3.80 17 McBryde Avenue Westbound exit only
San Pablo 4.34 18 San Pablo Dam Road
5.25 19A El Portal Drive
Richmond 5.98 19B Hilltop Mall, Auto Plaza Formerly signed as Hilltop Drive
Pinole 6.60 20 Richmond Parkway, Fitzgerald Drive to I-580 west Unconstructed SR 93
7.60 21 Appian Way
8.51 22 Pinole Valley Road
Hercules 10.06 23 SR 4 east – Stockton No westbound exit
10.06 23 Hercules
10.69 24 Willow Avenue – Rodeo
12.75 26 Cummings Skyway to SR 4 east – Martinez, Concord
13.49 27 Pomona Street – Crockett, Port Costa
14.14 Carquinez Bridge over Carquinez Strait
Solano
SOL 0.00-6.81		 Vallejo
1.14 29A SR 29 (Sonoma Boulevard) Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
29A Maritime Academy Drive Westbound exit and entrance
29B Sequoia Avenue Eastbound exit only
1.78 29C Magazine Street Signed as exit 29B westbound
2.23 30A I-780 to I-680 / Curtola Parkway – Benicia, Martinez Former I-680 south
2.44 30B Frontage Road (to Benicia Road) Eastbound exit only; former SR 141
2.88 30C Georgia Street – Central Vallejo Signed as exit 30B westbound
3.23 31A Springs Road, Solano Avenue
3.49 31B Tennessee Street – Mare Island
4.43 32A Redwood Parkway, Redwood Street Signed as exits 32A (east) and 32B (west) eastbound
5.63 33 SR 37 west / Auto Mall Columbus Parkway – Napa, San Rafael, Novato Signed as exits 33A (Auto Mall Columbus Parkway) and 33B (SR 37) westbound
Napa
NAP 6.81-8.00		 No junctions
Solano
SOL 8.00-R44.72		 8.10 36 American Canyon Road, Hiddenbrooke Parkway
Fairfield R11.39 39A Red Top Road Signed as exit 39 eastbound
R11.98 39B SR 12 west – Napa, Sonoma West end of SR 12 overlap; eastbound exit is via exit 39
12.74 40 Green Valley Road Westbound exit is part of exit 41
12.84 40 I-680 south – Benicia, Martinez, San Jose Former SR 21
13.49 41 Suisun Valley Road, Pittman Road
15.82 43 SR 12 east – Suisun City, Rio Vista East end of SR 12 overlap; westbound exit is via exit 43
16.17 44A Abernathy Road, Suisun Parkway Signed as exit 43 westbound
17.20 44B West Texas Street, Rockville Road – Fairfield Signed as exit 44 westbound
17.92 45 Travis Boulevard
19.18 47 Waterman Boulevard, Air Base Parkway – Travis AFB Signed as exits 47A (Air Base Parkway) and 47B (Waterman Boulevard) westbound
20.93 48 North Texas Street, Manuel Campos Parkway – Fairfield
23.13 51A Lagoon Valley Road, Cherry Glen Road
Vacaville 23.96 51B Peña Adobe Road
52 Cherry Glen Road Westbound exit only
R25.31 53 Alamo Drive, Merchant Street
R26.01 54A Davis Street
R26.46 54B Peabody Road, Mason Street – Elmira
R27.24 55 Monte Vista Avenue, Allison Drive, Nut Tree Parkway
R28.36 56 I-505 north – Winters, Redding
29.86 57 Leisure Town Road, Vaca Valley Parkway
31.36 59 Meridian Road, Weber Road
32.62 60 Midway Road, Lewis Road
Dixon 35.55 63 Dixon Avenue, West A Street – Dixon
36.90 64 Pitt School Road
38.21 66A SR 113 south (First Street) / Currey Road – Dixon West end of SR 113 overlap; signed as exit 66 eastbound
66B Milk Farm Road Westbound exit only
39.74 67 Pedrick Road (CR E7)
41.30 69 Kidwell Road
42.67 70 SR 113 north (Vic Fazio Highway) – Woodland East end of SR 113 overlap
43.50 71 UC Davis (Old Davis Road)
Yolo
YOL 0.00-R11.72		 Davis 0.24 72 Richards Boulevard – Downtown Davis Signed as exits 72A (south) and 72B (north) westbound
0.84 73 Olive Drive Westbound exit only; former US 40 west / US 99W north
2.68 75 Mace Boulevard (CR E6)
5.78 78 Road 32A, East Chiles Road
Yolo Causeway over Yolo Bypass
West Sacramento 9.18 81 West Capitol Avenue, Enterprise Boulevard – West Sacramento West Capitol Avenue was former US 40 east / US 99W south
R9.91 82 I-80 Bus. east (Capital City Freeway) / US 50 east (El Dorado Freeway) – Sacramento, South Lake Tahoe Former US 40 east / US 99W south / I-80 east
R11.23 83 Reed Avenue (SR 84) – West Sacramento
Sacramento
SAC M0.00-18.00		 Sacramento M1.36 85 West El Camino Avenue
M2.55 86 I-5 to SR 99 – Sacramento, Los Angeles, Redding
M3.64 88 Truxel Road Serves Power Balance Pavilion
M4.98 89 Northgate Boulevard
M6.12 90 Norwood Avenue
M7.63 91 Raley Boulevard, Marysville Boulevard – Del Paso Heights
M8.67 92 Winters Street
M9.40 93 Longview Drive
94 Light Rail Stations (Roseville Road, Watt/I-80 West, and Watt/I-80) Westbound left exit and eastbound left entrance; also accessible as part of exit 93 westbound
M10.36 94A Watt Avenue Westbound exit is part of exit 95
R10.99 94B Auburn Boulevard (SR 244) Westbound exit is part of exit 95
R10.99 95 I-80 Bus. west (Capital City Freeway) to SR 99 south – Sacramento Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; eastbound exit is part of exit 94A; former I-80 west
12.48 96 Madison Avenue
14.45 98 Greenback Lane, Elkhorn Boulevard (CR E14)
Citrus Heights 16.69 100 Antelope Road
Placer
PLA 0.00-R58.71		 Roseville 0.27 102 Riverside Avenue, Auburn Boulevard – Roseville, Citrus Heights Former US 40 / SR 65
1.98 103 Douglas Boulevard, Sunrise Avenue (CR E2) Signed as exits 103A (east) and 103B (west) eastbound
3.07 105A Atlantic Street, Eureka Road Signed as exits 105A (Eureka Road) and 105B (Atlantic Street) westbound
3.66 105B Taylor Road, Pacific Street Westbound exit is via exit 105A
4.16 106 SR 65 – Lincoln, Marysville
Rocklin 6.06 108 Rocklin Road
7.42 109 Sierra College Boulevard (CR E3)
Loomis 8.72 110 Horseshoe Bar Road – Loomis
10.35 112 Penryn Road – Penryn
13.81 115 Newcastle Road – Newcastle
14.30 116 SR 193 west – Lincoln West end of SR 193 overlap
Auburn 16.85 118 Ophir Road Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
17.29 119A Maple Street, Nevada Street – Auburn
17.54 119B SR 49 (SR 193 east) – Grass Valley, Placerville East end of SR 193 overlap
17.83 119C Elm Avenue
R18.91 120 Lincoln Way, Russell Road No eastbound entrance
R19.47 121 Auburn Ravine Road – Foresthill
R20.13 122 Bowman
R21.13 123 Bell Road
R22.21 124 Dry Creek Road
R23.43 125 Clipper Gap, Meadow Vista (Placer Hills Road)
R26.21 128 Applegate
27.39 129 Heather Glen
28.59 130 West Paoli Lane
29.32 131 Weimar Cross Road
Colfax 31.79 133 Canyon Way, Placer Hills Road
33.13 135 SR 174 – Colfax, Grass Valley
37.78 139 Rollins Lake Road, Magra Road Westbound exit and entrance
38.35 140 Secret Town Road, Magra Road
41.37 143 Magra Road – Gold Run
42.19 144 Gold Run Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
43.17 145 Dutch Flat
44.75 146 Alta
46.31 148A Crystal Springs
46.94 148B Baxter
49.00 150 Drum Forebay Road
53.36 155 Blue Canyon
54.81 156 Nyack Road
R56.06 158A Emigrant Gap Signed as exit 158 westbound
158B Laing Road Eastbound exit only
Nevada
NEV R58.71-R62.75		 R58.84 160 Yuba Gap
R59.54 161 SR 20 west – Nevada City, Grass Valley
R62.03 164 Eagle Lakes Road
Placer
PLA R62.75-69.77		 R63.52 165 Cisco Grove (Cisco Road)
166 Big Bend Eastbound exit only
R66.20 168 Rainbow Road – Big Bend
69.23 171 Kingvale
Nevada
NEV 0.00-31.78		 R2.48 174 Soda Springs, Norden
R5.07 176 Boreal Ridge Road – Castle Peak
R9.01 180 Donner Lake (Donner Lake Road)
13.21 184 Donner Pass Road
14.16 185 SR 89 south – Tahoe City, Lake Tahoe, Squaw Valley West end of SR 89 overlap
Truckee 14.97 186 Central Truckee No eastbound entrance
16.29 188A Truckee Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
16.60 188B SR 89 north / SR 267 south – Sierraville, Lake Tahoe East end of SR 89 overlap; signed as exit 188 westbound
18.28 190 Overland Trail
22.41 194 Hirschdale Road
27.29 199 Floriston
29.49 201 Farad
Sierra
SIE 0.00-1.59		 No junctions
1.49 Nevada state line
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
     Concurrency terminus •      Closed/Former •      Incomplete access •      Unopened

References

  1. ^ a b c California Highways: Interstate Highway Types and the History of California's Interstates
  2. ^ California Highways: Interstate 80
  3. ^ a b California Department of Transportation, State Truck Route List (XLS file), accessed February 2008
  4. ^ (PDF) 2008 Named Freeways, Highways, Structures and Other Appurtenances in California. Caltrans. pp. 34–36. http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/tsip/hseb/products/Named_Freeways.pdf. Retrieved 2009-04-01. 
  5. ^ Federal Highway Administration, National Highway System: San Francisco--Oakland CA, April 2004
  6. ^ California Department of Transportation, California Road System (CRS) Maps, accessed November 2007
  7. ^ "City of Emeryville, CA - Official Website - Emeryville Comes of Age – 1930s to 1960s". Emeryville, California. ci.emeryville.ca.us. http://www.ci.emeryville.ca.us/index.aspx?NID=661&PREVIEW=YES. Retrieved 21 July 2010. 
  8. ^ "2009 Named Freeways, Highways, Structures and Other Appurtenances in California". California Department of Transportation. dot.ca.gov. January 2010. p. 209. http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/tsip/hseb/products/Named_Freeways_Final.pdf. Retrieved 21 July 2010. 
  9. ^ California Highways: Legislative Route 242
  10. ^ California Department of Transportation (2007). "Chain Controls". http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo/chcontrl.htm. Retrieved 2010-09-03. 
  11. ^ California Department of Transportation (2007). "Winter Operations". http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist3/departments/mtce/controlmp.htm. Retrieved 2010-09-03. 
  12. ^ Elevation and Location of Summits and Passes in California
  13. ^ California Department of Transportation. "Get Across I-80". http://www.getacross80.com/. Retrieved 2010-09-03. 
  14. ^ California Department of Transportation (2010). "Log of Bridges on State Highways". http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/structur/strmaint/brlog2.htm. Retrieved 2010-09-03. 
  15. ^ California Department of Transportation. "All Traffic Volumes on CSHS". http://traffic-counts.dot.ca.gov/. 
  16. ^ California Department of Transportation, California Numbered Exit Uniform System, I-80, accessed February 2008

External links

Interstate 80
Previous state:
Terminus		 California Next state:
Nevada
Italics denote former routes.
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California State Routes
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Former