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Empty I-80 Allows Caltrans to Repair Key San Francisco Bay Bridge Connector

Billy Cruz
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Traffic is rerouted from eastbound Interstate 80 to U.S. Highway 101 as Caltrans crews resurface a key approach to the Bay Bridge in San Francisco on April 18, 2026. More than 100 workers are repairing viaducts and applying a new roadway layer during a weekend closure expected to last through early Monday morning.

Eastbound Interstate 80 was largely empty Saturday, a rare break in traffic that allowed crews to take over one of the Bay Area’s busiest corridors.

More than 100 workers with Caltrans spread out across the closed lanes, working around the clock to resurface a section of roadway leading to the Bay Bridge. The weekend closure halted traffic along the connector between U.S. Highway 101 and Interstate 80, a key route for commuters.

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On an overpass above the work zone, crews in hard hats and high-visibility vests prepared the surface for a new layer designed to extend the life of the bridge deck. Below, a staging area held trucks, equipment and materials.

“It requires a huge crew to make it happen,” Caltrans spokesperson Lori Shepherd said. “And it really requires that the public stay out of the area if they can.”

Caltrans crews perform construction on eastbound Interstate 80 in San Francisco on Saturday, April 18, 2026. Workers are repairing viaducts where I-80 intersects with U.S. Highway 101 near the Bay Bridge, prompting closures through early Monday morning.

Shepherd said the agency is asking people to take public transportation during the closure.

Previous KQED reporting noted that traffic was expected to shift onto city streets and other highways during the shutdown.

Traffic is rerouted from eastbound Interstate 80 to U.S. Highway 101 as Caltrans performs construction in San Francisco on April 18, 2026. Crews are repairing viaducts, prompting the closure of a stretch of I-80 through early Monday morning.

Pedro Quintana, a Caltrans communications manager for the Bay Area, said crews are applying what is known as a poly-overlay — an additional layer of material about an inch thick placed on top of the existing surface.

“We have crews right now getting ready to do another poly-overlay,” Quintana said. He described it as “an extra layer, an inch of layer onto the bridge deck.”

“This is going to definitely help revive the bridge deck for the next 10 years,” Quintana said. “You’re not going to experience those potholes, those cracks in the cement at all.”

On Saturday, workers operated machinery, inspected sections of roadway and coordinated tasks across the site without traffic moving through the area.

Caltrans Public Information Officer Lori Shepherd speaks with KQED reporter Billy Cruz about the “Fab Rehab” of eastbound Interstate 80 in San Francisco on April 18, 2026. Caltrans crews are repairing viaducts where I-80 intersects with U.S. 101 near the Bay Bridge, prompting closures through early Monday morning.

The closure is expected to last through the weekend, with lanes reopening once the resurfacing work is complete.

“We’re asking people to take public transportation this weekend, if possible,” Shepherd said.

KQED’s Otis R. Taylor Jr. contributed to this story.

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