I-80 Weekend Closure: What to Know About August Travel Over the Carquinez Bridge
The Carquinez Bridge, which connects Vallejo in Solano County to Crockett in Contra Costa County via Interstate 80, is scheduled for a major weekend closure for maintenance work this weekend.
Caltrans told KQED that it’s investing approximately $1.4 million into rehabilitating the suspension bridge that carries traffic along westbound I-80 — also known as the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge — in the direction of Crockett.
- Jump straight to: What detour should I use during the full closure later this month?
The big thing to know: Over the weekend of Aug. 21-24, westbound I-80 over the bridge will be completely closed to all traffic.
This closure will impact anyone hoping to travel between the East Bay and places like Napa, Sonoma, Sacramento and the Lake Tahoe region this weekend, as well as weekend commuters. Hundreds of thousands of vehicles cross the Carquinez Bridge each day, making it one of the Bay Area’s key traffic connectors.
Keep reading to learn more about this upcoming closure, what options you have for detours while maintenance work gets underway, expanded ferry service this weekend and why this work is being done now.
What parts of the Carquinez Bridge will be closed this weekend?
The Carquinez Bridge is made up of two separate bridges: a cantilever bridge carrying traffic north to Vallejo on eastbound I-80 and the suspension bridge going south to Crockett (westbound I-80), known as the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge.
It’s important to clarify that this planned maintenance work will only impact the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge — one of the two spans that more resembles the Golden Gate Bridge — on I-80 west. Traffic coming from Contra Costa County going north to Vallejo on 1-80 east will not be affected by either closure.
But during the full bridge closure later this weekend, any drivers trying to drive into the East Bay along I-80 from places like Napa, Sonoma, Fairfield, Vacaville or Sacramento — or returning home from the Sierra Nevada — should plan to take a detour (more below).
When will the Carquinez Bridge be closed?
On Friday, Aug. 21 at 10 p.m., Caltrans plans to completely close westbound I-80 on the Carquinez Bridge — for the entire weekend.
The bridge will reopen on Monday, Aug. 24 at 3 a.m.
During the 53-hour closure, no traffic will be able to move through the bridge, including pedestrians and cyclists.
These closures are necessary to make sure the bridge gets the maintenance it needs, said Sabrina Martinez, Caltrans’ public information officer for Solano County. “The asphalt that’s on it right now is good for 20 years, and we’re reaching that age,” she said. “It’s showing signs of wear and tear. This is a preventative work that we’re doing.”
Remember: You’ll still be able to use the other span of the Carquinez Bridge to take eastbound I-80 in the direction of Sacramento while the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge is closed.
On the Vallejo side approaching the bridge, Caltrans will also block off the northern segment of westbound I-80 that weekend, going all the way back to I-780. The westbound I-80 on-ramps in Vallejo on the following streets will be closed off during this maintenance work:
- Sonoma Boulevard
- Sequoia Avenue
- Magazine Street
- Lincoln Road West
“Caltrans maintenance will take advantage of the closure and go on the [I-80] freeway and do any maintenance work that they have scheduled,” Martinez said.
The earlier maintenance work on the Carquinez Bridge that was scheduled for this weekend — but has now been cancelled — would have seen Caltrans crews testing out the new kind of asphalt that will be used to repave the entire bridge Aug. 21-24. However, that initial work was “deemed not necessary,” Martinez said.
What alternative routes are recommended during the Carquinez Bridge closures?
Regional detour, for drivers coming back to the Bay Area on westbound I-80 from Sacramento or Tahoe:
- Take I-80 exit 40 (it’s just after Scandia Golfland) to merge onto I-680
- Stay on I-680 to cross the Benicia-Martinez Bridge
- Take exit 53 onto westbound State Route 4 to Hercules;
- Then, take exit 1B to switch back to westbound I-80 now you’re on the other side of the (closed) Carquinez Bridge
Local detour, for Solano County drivers on westbound I-80:
- At exit 30A signposted Benicia/Martinez, take the eastbound I-780 toward the Benicia-Martinez Bridge
- Stay in the left lane on I-780 and merge onto southbound I-680 to cross the Benicia-Martinez Bridge
- Take exit 53 onto westbound State Route 4 to Hercules
- Then, take exit 1B to switch back to westbound I-80 toward San Francisco
Another option that could be more practical for drivers heading to San Francisco itself is to take State Route 37 to Novato and transfer to Highway 101 to cross the Golden Gate Bridge.
What public transit options are available during the Carquinez Bridge closures?
San Francisco Bay Ferry
Caltrans is encouraging commuters in the Vallejo area to consider taking the Vallejo-San Francisco ferry during the full Aug. 21-24 closure — and San Francisco Bay Ferry has announced an expansion in that weekend’s service to accommodate these riders.
According to the agency, 21 ferry trips between Vallejo and San Francisco’s Ferry Building will now be running on both Saturday, Aug. 22 and Sunday, Aug. 23 — up from the 16 daily trips that usually run on a weekend.
These added southbound trips will depart at 1:20 p.m. and 6:45 p.m, and additional northbound trips will leave at 3:25 p.m, 5:40 p.m. and 7:55 p.m.
SolTrans bus service
SolTrans has two bus routes that cross Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge: the 60 line that connects Fairfield to Richmond; and the 82 line that connects Fairfield to San Francisco. Read more from SolTrans on how these services will be rerouted this weekend — and be aware that SolTrans is warning riders to expect delays of up to 45 minutes this weekend.
Alternatively, 60 and 82 bus riders can take these routes to the Vallejo Transit Center, transfer to the 70 bus that goes all the way to the Concord BART station and then take BART to their desired destination.
Why can’t this work on the Carquinez Bridge be done at night?
For this maintenance project, Caltrans will be using a type of asphalt concrete sourced from the largest deposit of natural asphalt in the world: Pitch Lake in Trinidad and Tobago.
Martinez said this asphalt is known to be durable and good for waterproofing.
The closure will begin with crews removing the old asphalt on Friday night. The new asphalt can only be applied when temperatures are 70 degrees or higher, Martinez added.
“During the day, once temperature hits, crews can drop down the new asphalt and let it cure for the weekend,” she said.
As for why this closure is happening during daytime hours, Caltrans needs those specific temperatures to be able to use this asphalt — and crews expect warmer weather during the daytime, Martinez said.
If the weather is not warm enough during the Aug. 21-24 weekend, Martinez added, “we do have a contingency plan in place.” Maintenance work would be moved to a later date, she said — most likely the following weekend.