Thousands of people are finding their commute easier with the completion of a major portion of the Cypress Replacement Freeway. Gone is the I-880/980/580/80 to San Francisco shuffle that many commuters maneuvered since the Cypress Freeway collapsed in 1989. Motorists traveling on I-880 can now reach the Bay Bridge directly. However, additional work remains before the project is complete and fully operational. A few significant aspects of the project are well underway, including several on- and off-ramps that will open soon.
Seventh Street The Seventh Street interchange near the United States Postal Facility has been under construction since Fall 1995. In this area, the new structure is built below grade and will provide easy access to the Oakland Army Base, the Port of Oakland and the postal facility. This work should be completed and the interchange opened early this year.
Frontage Road A half-diamond interchange at West Grand Avenue and Seventh Street will be connected by a frontage road on the east side of the I-880 freeway. This frontage road allows access to I-880 for motorists heading both north and south. Opening in January, the road is a welcome relief to congestion for residents of West Oakland as well as patrons and employees of the postal facility on Seventh Street. When Contract G is completed, there will be on- and off-ramps from West Grand Avenue to I-80.
On-Ramps/Off-Ramps While motorists traveling between 23rd Avenue in Oakland and the Bay Bridge enjoy a virtual expressway with the opening of the new segment of the freeway, other commuters are still awaiting on- and off-ramps to the new freeway that will ease their commutes. An on-ramp at Fifth and Union streets and on- and off-ramps at Fifth and Adeline streets are scheduled to open to traffic by Spring 1998.
Relief for Downtown Commuters Currently, only motorists entering I-880 at 23rd Avenue or further south can access the Cypress Replacement Freeway. Motorists who attempt to enter at Jackson Street are currently diverted onto I-980. When the entire project is complete in Fall 1998, downtown Oakland drivers will be able to use the new I-880 freeway. Current traffic volumes demand that three lanes be committed to the entrance to eastbound I-980. When Cypress Contract "G" is completed, motorists going to Berkeley and Emeryville will have a choice of using I-980 or continuing on the replacement freeway. Spreading this traffic demand will require fewer lanes for I-980 and allow for access to northbound I-880 from Jackson Street. This will bring to four the number of lanes on northbound I-880 committed to motorists who want to use the Cypress Replacement Freeway.
For motorists who encounter car problems while traveling on the Cypress Replacement Freeway - help is just a phone call away. Twenty motorist-aid call boxes have been placed along the recently opened freeway corridor between West Oakland and the Bay Bridge toll plaza. Upon completion of the Cypress Replacement Project in Fall 1998, a total of 37 call boxes will be in place about one-quarter mile apart along the four-mile stretch of the new freeway.
The yellow call boxes are for motorists to report car trouble, accidents or other roadway hazards free of charge. After lifting the receiver of one of the special phones, motorists are directly connected to the California Highway Patrol (CHP) dispatch center. "One of the best things about the call box is that the user is able to tell the CHP about the incident they are calling about," explains Re'ka Goode of Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC). "This enables the CHP to dispatch the appropriate help, such as a tow truck for a flat tire, and frees up the CHP for other concerns." The dispatcher is able to identify the location of the incident when the caller indicates the number posted on the call box.
Motorist-aid call boxes are solar-powered. The call box poles are topped with solar panels that charge and recharge the phone's battery. The batteries hold a charge long enough to work at night and on cloudy days.
The MTC Service Authority for Freeways and Expressways (MTC SAFE) administers the call box program in the nine-county Bay Area. The boxes are financed by a $1 surcharge on motor vehicle registrations in the Bay Area. The money goes toward installation, operation and maintenance. There are also plans to make many of the existing and future call boxes throughout the Bay Area more accessible to persons with disabilities by providing level paths leading to and from the boxes.
The CHP receives approximately 600 phone calls a day from the 3,400 call boxes that are currently in operation throughout the Bay Area. So, if you have trouble on Bay Area freeways, look for the little yellow boxes to get a big helping hand.
Mixing Concrete With technologyNew advances in roadway engineering and materials are helping to make the Cypress Replacement Freeway truly state-of-the-art. In creating the freeway, Caltrans designers and engineers used the latest technology available to guard against earthquake damage. "The new freeway uses technological innovations that may not be seen anywhere else in the world," says Dave Franco, Caltrans engineer.
One such innovation is the use of cellular concrete, a new material used as lightweight fill for soft ground to help prevent settling problems that could cause structural damage in an earthquake or over time. The cellular concrete weighs about 24 to 36 pounds per cubic foot whereas regular concrete weighs about 120 pounds per cubic foot. The new lightweight concrete is easier to handle and is more durable than regular concrete.
A substance called polystyrene is being used on the ramps leading to and from the freeway. Its composition is similar to a foam coffee cup. Why drive on foam? According to Caltrans assistant resident engineer Ali Taheripour, the main advantage with polystyrene is that over the long run it will reduce settlement in soft soil, keeping the roadway intact. "All of the roadways using polystyrene are expected to require very little maintenance," Taheripour explains.
Both steel and concrete piles are being used in building the new freeway. "Steel piles have a tendency to rust, especially in areas where there is a lot of groundwater," says Taheripour. "We are using a process called cathodic protection, applying a slight electrical charge to the piles, to protect them against rust."
New computer and communications technology will also play a role in the operation of the new freeway. The Caltrans Transportation Management Center will monitor various cameras along the corridor to ensure that traffic is flowing smoothly.
"The Cypress Replacement Freeway has the features we'd all like to see throughout the Bay Area," says Jim McCrank, Caltrans' division chief of operations. "It's got the latest design, long acceleration lanes for on-ramps, call boxes and closed-circuit television cameras. The new freeway will provide better safety and smoother operations while having lower maintenance requirements."
Motorists can now take advantage of one innovation before they leave the house. TravInfo, a federally funded project, gives up-to-the-minute traffic conditions on all Bay Area freeways. Callers can reach TravInfo toll free at 817-1717 from anywhere in the Bay Area.
Committed neighbors and a vigilant business community have provided a level of neighborhood involvement that has set apart the Cypress Freeway Replacement Project from others in the state.
The Cypress Advisory Committee and the State and Local Coalition have served as valuable partners in the rebuilding effort. Over 30 groups including the Phoenix Neighborhood Association, South Prescott Neighborhood, Seventh Street Merchants Association, Citizens Emergency Relief Team (CERT), and the Oak Center Neighborhood Association have been involved. The groups want Caltrans to understand their concerns for the West Oakland community. Their recommendations have shaped every aspect of the project from location to design.
These community groups are primarily comprised of people who live in neighborhoods adjacent to the Cypress project. CERT was the first community based organization that formed in response to the destruction caused by the Loma Prieta earthquake. A group of West Oakland residents led by Bill Love and Paul Cobb formed CERT. The group's primary focus was to ensure that the community would have a voice in freeway rebuilding decisions. "Many of us who grew up and live in West Oakland recognized the opportunity to design our community as we saw fit," explains Cobb. "A freeway that divided our neighborhood in two was not part of the plan. The community demanded that the structure be redesigned and relocated."
In another example, the original design for the Cypress Replacement Freeway planned for the off-ramp at Market Street to be eliminated. Local business owners felt this would limit access to their businesses. The proposed off-ramp at Filbert Street was opposed by residents who cited safety concerns. George Bolton, a West Oakland resident and the Chief of Construction for Alameda County, proposed a design that would maintain the existing Market Street ramp. Bolton attended community meetings armed with drawings indicating how his design could work. His tenacity and engineering knowledge resulted in a decision to modify and retrofit the existing structure at Market Street.
Other groups including South Prescott Neighborhood and Chester Street Block Association were instrumental in the development of a "green belt" along Third Street. The park was developed for additional green space and scenic landscape along the 4-mile project. The community's vision and Caltrans' view of how the park should look were vastly different. But the neighborhood groups were persistent and an agreement was reached.
These are just a few examples of how the local community helped shape the Cypress Replacement Freeway. Sometimes the process has gone smoothly, while other times it has resulted in heated discussions and legal challenges. Through it all, Caltrans and the neighboring communities have collaborated to devise a rebuilding plan that works for everyone - residents, commuters and local businesses.
Safety First! Longer nights and uncertain weather make safe driving even more important for motorists passing through construction areas. Several major highway construction projects are underway in the East Bay, including the Cypress Freeway Project, the I-80 corridor project, and the Highway 13/24 and I-680/Highway 24 interchanges. Because large numbers of vehicles pass through these areas each day, it is often necessary for work to be done at night. As part of the night work, lanes may be reconfigured or closed, or traffic may be detoured.
In recent months, Caltrans workers have been seriously injured due to reckless driving by motorists. So, in the words of a popular slogan - "Give Highway Workers A Brake." Caltrans offers these tips for driving through construction zones, especially at night.
On the Road to AutomationThe day is fast approaching when instead of driving your car, your car will be driving you. That is, driving will become automated. Motorists will simply sit back and let their cars steer, brake and accelerate on the future Automated Highway System (AHS) now being designed by Caltrans and a host of researchers.
Caltrans and other transportation agency officials recently attended an AHS demonstration in San Diego presented by the National Automated Highway System Consortium (NAHSC). The NAHSC is made up of government, industry and academic organizations working to develop a plan for an AHS in California. AHS demonstrators used a portion of the High Occupancy Vehicle lanes on Interstate 15 to present the feasibility and benefits of AHS technologies.
Drivers on an AHS would steer their AHS-ready vehicle onto designated lanes of the highway, then release control of the vehicle to the system. Vehicles that operate on the AHS lanes would require sensors, controllers and communication devices. In the AHS lane, the car's sensors and computerized control of the vehicle's throttle and brakes would ensure that the car stays a safe distance from the vehicle in front. Similarly, automated operation of the vehicle's steering would ensure that the car remains safely in its lane. To exit the AHS lane, the driver would steer into a transition area and resume manual driving.
Research indicates that an AHS can significantly increase safety and reduce congestion by reducing traffic accidents. Driver error contributes to over 90 percent of all vehicle accidents. With automated driving, there will be less chance to commit driver error.
While we probably won't see an automated highway implemented for quite some time, more tests on the safety and practicality of an AHS could begin within 10 years. If proven safe and reliable, the addition of AHS equipment to existing roadways would follow. But it won't be long before we'll be able to benefit from automated features on vehicles. For example, some future cars will have collision avoidance systems and adaptive cruise control, which controls a car's speed and keeps a safe distance from the vehicle in front. Lane tracking will help keep vehicles from veering into other lanes.
The future is fast approaching. Get ready for automated driving in the new millennium!
Best Wishes in '98!
District 4 Construction always welcome any comments or suggestions.
Author: Yader A. Bermudez
Email: Yader_A_Bermudez@dot.ca.gov
