The Carquinez Bridge consists of two spans that carry Interstate 80 over the Carquinez Straits between Crockett in Contra Costa County and Vallejo in Solano County. The northbound (eastbound) span was opened in 1958, and the southbound (westbound) span (Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge) opened on November 11, 2003. The northbound span is a cantilever span (retrofitted for earthquakes), and the southbound span is a suspension bridge. This photo also shows the original span (opened as part of U.S. 40 on May 11, 1927), which was removed in phases until it was fully dismantled in September 2007. Photo taken 11/28/04.
Routing
Transcontinental Interstate 80 begins its easterly journey in San Francisco, the city by the bay. It immediately traverses the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge to cross the San Francisco Bay, then turns north at Oakland to parallel the bayshore until reaching the Carquinez Straits. A new suspension bridge for westbound traffic, the Alfred Zampa Bridge, opened on November 11, 2003, to replace the 1927 steel cantilever truss span. Interstate 80 turns northeast at Vallejo, following a well-traveled route between the Bay Area and the capital city of Sacramento.
Prior to August 1965, Interstate 80 was planned to extend across the San Francisco Peninsula to meet California 1 (at that time, the section of California 1 between Interstate 280 and U.S. 101 was planned to be part of a realigned Interstate 280). The Central Freeway between Fell Street (the planned Western Freeway split) east to the current Lick/Central interchange was proposed to carry part of Interstate 80. This freeway was damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, and much of it was demolished in the early 2000s.
However, the extension of Interstate 80 across the peninsula was killed due to community opposition, community impact, environmental concerns, and cost. Interstate 80 was truncated to the Embarcadero Freeway (former California 480, which was destroyed by the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake). However, the section of 80 between U.S. 101 and the Embarcadero is today signed as part of Interstate 80, even though it was removed from the Interstate system in 1965 along with the section west of U.S. 101.
After passing over the Carquinez Straits, Interstate 80 turns northeast at Vallejo, following a well-traveled route between the Bay Area and the capital city of Sacramento, passing through Fairfield, Vacaville, and Davis along the way, finally crossing the wide Yolo Bypass flood control channel before reaching the capital city metropolitan area. At West Sacramento, Interstate 80 splits into Business Loop I-80/U.S. 50, which serves downtown Sacramento, and regular Interstate 80, which bypasses the city to the north.
After leaving Solano County, Interstate 80 continues along a well-traveled route between the Bay Area and the capital city of Sacramento, passing through Davis and over the wide Yolo Bypass flood control channel before reaching the city of West Sacramento and the capital city metropolitan area. At West Sacramento, Interstate 80 splits into Business Loop I-80/U.S. 50, which serves downtown Sacramento, and regular Interstate 80, which bypasses the city to the north.
As the freeway passes to the north ("over the top of") Sacramento, it passes through several suburbs of Sacramento. As it passes through Roseville and Auburn, Interstate 80 begins its slow ascent into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. As one of three major all-weather trans-Sierra routes in the winter (others include U.S. 50 and California 88), Interstate 80 is always busy with commercial traffic, tourists, skiers, commuters to Reno, and others. The road narrows to four lanes, but it remains very busy and very fast, especially for downhill (westbound) travelers. Interstate 80 crosses the Donner Summit, one of the highest points on the freeway, then descends into Truckee, a gateway to scenic Lake Tahoe. Passing by a few small towns in the Truckee River valley, Interstate 80 enters Nevada just east of Farad.
Interstate 80 or Not?
The section of Interstate 80 between U.S. 101 and the Embarcadero exit (which is where Interstate 280 would have connected to Interstate 80 had that connection been constructed) may or may not be an official Interstate, as noted above. This contested section of "Interstate" is almost entirely located on the James Lick Skyway. An interesting confluence of facts leads to this conclusion:
The legislative Route 80 is separated into two sections:
From Route 101 near Division Street in San Francisco to Route 280 near First Street in San Francisco.
From Route 280 near First Street in San Francisco to the Nevada state line near Verdi, Nevada, passing near Oakland, via Albany, via Sacramento, passing near Roseville, via Auburn, via Emigrant Gap, via Truckee and via the Truckee River Canyon.
According to Daniel Faigin's page and Chris Sampang's page, this stretch of Route 80 was originally approved as a chargeable Interstate on 7/7/1947, but it was removed as a chargeable Interstate in August 1965.
Several Thomas Brothers California State Map Guides from the 1980s and 1990s show a state route shield on this segment of freeway between U.S. 101 and Proposed Route 280.
Joe Rouse mentions that the Caltrans publication about the history of the Interstates in California mentions a mileage change in 1968 where about 5.3 miles of Interstate 80 west of the Embarcadero Freeway was removed from the system. The postmile for the Embarcadero Freeway connections is 5.56. Given the fact that there is a postmile equation on the Skyway, the mileage seems to add up.
A 1971 State Highway map shows the Interstate 80 designation ending at the Embarcadero Freeway interchange. The drawings on the map were all black and white, but various colors were used to depict the status of the state's Freeway and Expressway System. Interstate routes were labeled with very wide colored lines; 80 west of the Embarcadero Freeway/Former California 480 is shown as narrower than other Interstate routes.
Signage for Interstate 80 is sporadic at best, with overhead signage pointing to southbound U.S. 101 along westbound Interstate 80. However, there are some standalone reassurance shields in place in both directions along this stretch.
In spite of all this knowledge, there are other reasons why Interstate 80 is continuous all the way to U.S. 101. Examples include the exit numbering program (which begins at U.S. 101 and proceeds west), the possibility that this segment is non-chargeable Interstate rather than chargeable Interstate, and the sporadic signage. However, there is no official word either way. For our purposes (to ease clarity), we will consider the skyway section as part of Interstate 80.
Planned Improvements
The James Lick Skyway portion of Interstate 80 is currently being replaced for a seismic retrofit. Ongoing construction has resulted into the demolition of several original structures approaching the Bay Bridge. The skyway was constructed in 1936, and it is slated for replacement. This has been an interesting project, as the highway was routed onto temporary structures located to the north of the existing viaduct, which will be demolished and rebuilt from the ground up. Once traffic is switched onto the new viaduct, the temporary structures will be removed.
There might be some federal funds involved in this project, but the money breakdown is not clear. The project will probably bring the highway up to current Interstate design standards with shoulders. Interstate design standards and state freeway design standards are almost identical, so any differences would be minimal, the main one being that the left exit at 5th Street will be preserved. The signage plans call for the route to be labeled as Interstate 80 rather than California 80.
Southbound First Street approaches the onramp to Interstate 80/San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge crossing to Oakland and points east. To Los Angeles, follow Interstate 80 east to Interstate 580 east to Interstate 5 south. This overhead sign is a rare back-lit guide sign that was likely placed in the 1960s-1970s time frame. It has been damaged, as a hole is found on the left side of the sign. This toll crossing entrance is located at the intersection between First Street and Harrison Street. Photo taken 04/06/09.
Although the ramp from southbound First Street to Interstate 80 east is signed as a "toll crossing entrance," there is no toll for vehicles crossing eastbound across the Bay Bridge. The toll is currently only collected for westbound travelers. A neutered shield (with no state name) is increasingly common in California, and this brand new shield is one of many that no longer carries the state name (other recent examples include Interstate 5 in northern San Diego County and Kern County). Photo taken 04/06/09.
The onramp to Interstate 80 east was reconstructed as part of the new James Lick Skyway construction. Note the decorative features on the retaining wall of this ramp, which shows the top of one of the suspension towers. Photo taken 04/06/09.
The ramp onto Interstate 80 east from First Street leads onto the lower deck of the Bay Bridge. There are no exits until Yerba Buena Island and Treasure Island. Photo taken 04/06/09.
View of the bay bridge as seen from Exit 2B, Harrison Street from westbound Interstate 80. The exit is a left exit, and it curves in a "U" toward Harrison Street and the Embarcadero. With the reconstruction of the James Lick Skyway and approach to the Bay Bridge, this view is no longer the same. Photo taken 10/16/00.
Side view of the suspension portion of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as seen from the Embarcadero in San Francisco. Note the colorful guide signage in place here for such internationally famous attractions as Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf, and North Beach. Photo taken 10/16/00.
View of the main supports holding up the bridge cables as seen from northbound Embarcadero. Photo taken 10/16/00.
View of the suspension portion of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as seen from downtown San Francisco. This photo was taken at the foot of the bridge at this traffic signal for the Embarcadero. Yerba Buena Island, the midway point of the bridge, is visible in the distance, after the fourth suspension tower. The island obscures a view of the steel bridge that represents the eastern half of the heavily traveled span. Photos taken 10/16/00.
This suite of photos shows the progress on the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge while it was still under construction in 2002. This was the first suspension bridge constructed in the United States since the early 1970s (the last one constructed was the U.S. 50-301 bridge over Chesapeake Bay). As of November 11, 2003, the Zampa Bridge carries westbound Interstate 80 over the Carquinez Straits. Eastbound traffic will continue to use the 1950s-era steel bridge, while the original 1920s-era bridge is slated for demolition in the coming months. A walking and bicycling path is available along the suspension bridge. Photos taken by Joel Windmiller, 07/21/02.
This suite of photos shows the completed Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge as seen from Crockett looking north. At the time these pictures were taken, the 1927 span was still intact, since it was briefly used for northbound (eastbound) traffic while the 1958 span was retrofitted. Photos taken 11/28/04.
At the Crockett interchange at the south end of the Alfred Zampa Bridge are these freeway entrance shield assemblies. Photos taken 11/28/04.
From the pedestrian bridge walking north, the southern anchorage of the suspension bridge is visible. In addition, note the teal bridge railing and orange suspension cables, offering a splash of color on the concrete structure. Photos taken 11/28/04.
This series of photos shows the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge, starting in Crockett and walking north to Vallejo. Since the bridge is southbound-only, these photos illustrate the bridge if it were taken in the opposite direction. The plaque in the last photo is located at the north end of the bridge and commemorates Alfred Zampa. Photos taken 11/28/04.
Now looking south from the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge vista point, the Carquinez Bridge spans dominate the view. In the third photo, note the distant Crockett interchange with Interstate 80 and San Pablo Avenue (Old U.S. 40). This interchange was modified to create the approach from the bridge onto the freeway. Photos taken 11/28/04.
This view of San Pablo Bay is provided from the pedestrian lane on the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge. The Carquinez Strait, which carries water from the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers through the delta, ends here. Marin County is visible in the distance. Photo taken 11/28/04.
Looking up from the pedestrian bridge is this perspective of the south tower on the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge. Photo taken 11/28/04.
Interstate 80 freeway entrance shield assembly at the southern terminus of California 29 in Vallejo (Exit 29A). Photo taken 10/16/00.
Interstate 80 and California 37 trailblazer signage in Vallejo. Photo taken by Trevor Carrier, 2002.
Interstate 80 trailblazer signage. Photo taken by Joel Windmiller, 03/29/01.
It certainly snows in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, as evidenced by these freeway entrance shields partially covered in snow from a recent storm. Photos taken by Jeff Royston (01/00).
A look at the Interstate 80 westbound on-ramp from Donner Pass Road (Historic U.S. 40) near Donner Lake and Truckee. Interstate 80 and Historic U.S. 40 travel separate paths from the lake area (elevation 5,935 feet) to Donner Summit (elevation 7,239 feet). The climb is dramatic and motorists should be prepared to install snow chains in the advent of snow. Photos taken 09/09/05.
