Interstate 680 (California)

Interstate 680 (I-680) is a north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway in Northern California. It curves around the eastern cities of the San Francisco Bay Area from San Jose to I-80 at Fairfield, bypassing cities along the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay such as Oakland and Richmond while serving others more inland such as Pleasanton and Concord.

Built in the 1920s as SR 21 and designated in 1955, I-680 begins at a junction with I-280 and US Route 101 (US 101/Bayshore Freeway) and heads northeast and north-northwest through the northeast part of San Jose. After passing State Route 237 (SR 237) in Milpitas and SR 262 in Fremont, I-680 abruptly turns northeast (where a connection to a SR 238 freeway was planned) and enters the hills and valleys of the California Coast Ranges. The highway crosses over Mission Pass, also known as the Sunol Grade, and descends into the Sunol Valley, where it meets SR 84 near Sunol. From Sunol, I-680 again heads north-northwesterly through valleys, including the San Ramon Valley, along the Calaveras Fault. Junctions along this portion include I-580 in Dublin and SR 24 in Walnut Creek. Beyond the latter interchange, a three-way directional junction with the SR 24 freeway west to Oakland, I-680 heads north into Pleasant Hill, where SR 242 splits and I-680 again heads northwesterly. After the junction with SR 4 in Martinez, the highway crosses the Carquinez Strait on the Benicia–Martinez Bridge, immediately meeting the east end of I-780 on the Benicia end. The remainder of I-680, from Benicia to I-80 at Fairfield, lies between a hilly area to the west representing the southwestern tip of the Vaca Mountains, and a marshy area (along the Suisun Bay and Cordelia Slough) to the east.<ref name=maps>Google Maps street maps and USGS topographic maps, accessed February 2008 via ACME Mapper</ref>

Route description

File:I-680 south at SR 4.jpg

Southbound at SR 4, with Mount Diablo on the left

File:Pleasant Hill Martinez aerial with EBMUD Trail and the Walnut Creek.jpg

Pleasant Hill, Concord, Martinez, and Vallejo aerial looking north, with I-680, the EBMUD Trail, the Walnut Creek, and the bridges over the Carquinez Strait. I-680 roughly parallels the Walnut Creek (the orange channel) from Walnut Creek to the Carquinez Strait.

The route begins at US 101 at the Joe Colla Interchange, where it acts as a continuation of I-280 eastward.<ref name="USmap">Template:Cite map</ref> From here, it begins its journey northward through San Jose, where it meets the Capitol Expressway, signed as County Route G21 (CR G21), about Template:One2a northeast of I-680's southern terminus.<ref name="trucklist"/> The next exit northbound is SR 130, which is also known as Alum Rock Avenue, unsigned at the intersection.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> As it continues through Santa Clara County, it meets numerous local roads before interchanging with the Montague Expressway (CR G4). Here, it exits San Jose and enters the city of Milpitas, where it meets SR 237, often referred to as Calaveras Boulevard. After one more intersection, I-680 exits Santa Clara County and enters Alameda County.<ref name="trucklist"/>

In Alameda County, the freeway begins in the city of Fremont, where it intersects SR 262, which was unsigned until 2000. Continuing through the city, it meets Mission Boulevard at SR 238 before exiting the city. Prior to 2002, two ghost ramps existed here, remains of an abandoned freeway project replacing Mission Boulevard.<ref name="trucklist"/> Amid Alameda County, it abruptly turns northeastward and enters a hilly area, where it crosses over Mission Pass, and descends into the Sunol Valley, where it runs concurrently with SR 84 for a short while. Afterward, it enters Pleasanton and intersects with I-580, currently California's longest auxiliary Interstate providing access to Oakland and the Central Valley. It enters Dublin for a short segment before exiting the county and entering Contra Costa County.<ref name="trucklist"/><ref name="USmap"/>

Upon entering Contra Costa County, the route meets numerous local roads through the cities of San Ramon, Danville, and Alamo before entering Walnut Creek, where it meets SR 24.<ref name="trucklist"/> I-680 then enters Pleasant Hill for a short time and Concord, where it meets SR 242. Upon exiting Concord, it meets SR 4. It then enters Martinez, where it follows the Benicia–Martinez Bridge over the Carquinez Strait, on which the route crosses the county line and enters Benicia in Solano County.<ref name="trucklist"/><ref name="SFmap"/><ref name="USmap"/> On the Benicia–Martinez Bridge, I-680 northbound is tolled, while I-680 southbound is free. In Benicia, I-680 interchanges with I-780. It then exits the city and, after passing through rural areas, routing parallel to the San Joaquin Delta, it enters Fairfield, where it meets I-80, which is the route's northern terminus.<ref name="USmap"/>

In the wake of the September 11 attacks, a US flag was painted on a large piece of concrete on a hill along the Sunol Grade. It stayed there for nine years before the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) painted it over, as the mural had been painted on without authorization.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Of the above names, only the name Sinclair Freeway for its designated portion usually appears on maps, and the other portions on maps are always unnamed, referred to as simply I-680.<ref name="SFmap"/>

I-680 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System<ref name="cafes">Template:CAFESystem</ref> and is part of the National Highway System,<ref name=fhwa-nhs>Template:FHWA NHS map</ref> a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).<ref name=NHS-FHWA>Template:FHWA NHS</ref> I-680 is eligible to be included in the State Scenic Highway System from the Santa Clara–Alameda county line to SR 24 in Walnut Creek<ref name="scenic">Template:CA scenic</ref> but is only a scenic route from Mission Boulevard to the Contra Costa county line and from the Alameda county line to SR 24;<ref name="caltransscenic">Template:Caltrans scenic</ref> this means that those portions are substantial sections of highway passing through a "memorable landscape" with no "visual intrusions", where the potential designation has gained popular favor with the community.<ref>Template:Caltrans scenic info</ref>

Tolls

Express lanes

There are two sections of High-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes along I-680: the Sunol Express Lanes and the Contra Costa Express Lanes.<ref name="680 Express Lanes-CC"/><ref name="680 Express Lanes-Sunol"/>

The Template:Convert southbound Sunol HOT lane along I-680 between SR 84 in Alameda County and through the Sunol Grade to SR 237 in Santa Clara County opened on September 20, 2010.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The northbound HOT lane along roughly the same stretch, specifically between SR 84 and Auto Mall Parkway in Fremont, opened in October 2020 but initially as high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes; tolling was halted on this segment of I-680 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resumed in fall 2022.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The Contra Costa HOT lanes then opened in October 2017 in both directions on the portion from slightly south of Alcosta Boulevard near the Alameda–Contra Costa line to a point between Livorna Road and Rudgear Road near the Alamo–Walnut Creek city limits.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On August 20, 2021, the southbound HOT lanes were extended north to Marina Vista Boulevard in Martinez.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Template:As of, both HOT sections' hours of operation is weekdays between 5:00 am and 8:00 pm; they are otherwise free and open to all vehicles at other times. Solo drivers are tolled using a congestion pricing system based on the real-time levels of traffic. Carpools, motorcycles, and clean air vehicles with two or more people are not charged. For clean-air vehicles with a solo driver, 50 percent of the posted toll is charged.<ref name="680 Express Lanes-CC">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="680 Express Lanes-Sunol">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> All tolls are collected using an open road tolling system, and therefore there are no toll booths to receive cash. Each vehicle using the HOT lanes is required to carry a FasTrak Flex transponder with its switch set to indicate the number of the vehicle's occupants (1, 2, or 3+). Those with clean air vehicles need to apply for a special FasTrak CAV tag. Solo drivers may also use the FasTrak standard tag without the switch.<ref name="680 Express Lanes-CC"/><ref name="680 Express Lanes-Sunol"/> Drivers without any FasTrak tag will be assessed a toll violation regardless of whether they qualified for free.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Template:As of, there are environmental studies to also extend the northbound toll lanes from Livorna Road to Marina Vista Avenue, as well as closing the nine-mile express lane gap between Sunol and San Ramon. Neither have begun construction, nor are there any near plans to do so.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Benicia–Martinez Bridge

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Tolls are collected only for northbound traffic on the Benicia–Martinez Bridge headed to Benicia. All-electronic tolling is also used on the bridge, and they can be paid by either a FasTrak transponder or license plate tolling. The high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane leading to the bridge requires a car with three or more people.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

History

File:View from I-680 (2).jpg

Descending from Mission Pass northbound

Historic routing

Template:Infobox road small By the 1920s, a road ran south from Martinez through Walnut Creek, Dublin, Danville, and Sunol to Mission San Jose, where it met Legislative Route 5 (Mission Boulevard, signed over the years as US 48, US 101E, SR 9, and now SR 238). It was not yet paved south of Dublin, where it crossed Mission Pass between the Sunol Valley and the San Francisco Bay basin.<ref name="SFmap">Rand McNally & Company, San Francisco and Vicinity, 1927</ref> The majority of this roadway was added to the state highway system in 1933 as portions of several routes: Route 108 from Mission San Jose to Sunol, Route 107 from Sunol to Walnut Creek, and Route 75 from Walnut Creek to Pleasant Hill.<ref>Template:Cite CAstat: "State Highway Route 75 near Walnut Creek to State Highway Route 5 near Stockton via Antioch." "State Highway Route 75 near Walnut Creek to Livermore-San Jose Mission Road near Scotts Corners." "State Highway Route 5 near Mission San Jose to State Highway Route 5 near Livermore."</ref><ref>Template:Cite CAstat: "Route 75 is from: (a) Oakland to Route 5 near Stockton via Walnut Creek and Antioch..." "Route 107 is from: (a) Route 75 near Walnut Creek to Route 108 near Scotts Corners..." "Route 108 is from Route 5 near Mission San Jose to Route 5 near Livermore."</ref>

At Martinez, the Martinez–Benicia Ferry took automobiles across the Carquinez Strait to Benicia, where Route 7, one of the original state highways from the 1910 bond issue, led north and northeast past Fairfield toward Sacramento and Oregon.<ref name=howe-peters>Howe & Peters, Engineers' Report to California State Automobile Association Covering the Work of the California Highway Commission for the Period 1911-1920, pp. 11-16</ref> The portion north from Benicia to Fairfield became part of Route 74 in 1935, when Route 7 was realigned to the more direct American Canyon route that is now I-80.<ref>Template:Cite CAstat: "Route 74 is from a point on Route 8 near the Napa Y to Cordelia via Vallejo and Benicia."</ref> None of the aforementioned roads were given state sign route numbers in 1934, when that system was laid out,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> but, by 1937, they had been numbered SR 21.<ref>Oakland Tribune, classified ads, August 15, 1937: "one acre on Highway 21, south of Walnut Creek"</ref> This route began at the intersection of Warm Springs Boulevard and Brown Road in Warm Springs, where Route 5 and Route 69 (SR 17) split, followed Route 5 along Mission Boulevard to Mission San Jose (this part later became a concurrency with SR 9), and then continued to US 40 (Route 7) at Cordelia. The routing was very close to the present I-680, following such roads as Pleasanton Sunol Road, San Ramon Valley Boulevard, Danville Boulevard, Main Street in Walnut Creek, Contra Costa Boulevard, and Pacheco Boulevard.<ref>United States Geological Survey, 1942 San Jose, 1940 Livermore, 1942 Mount Diablo, 1941 Concord, 1940 Carquinez Strait (scale 1:62500)</ref>

The portion of SR 21 between Pleasant Hill and Martinez was finally added to the state highway system in 1949, as a branch of Route 75.<ref>Template:Cite CAstat: "Route 75 is from:...(b) Route (a) above, north of Walnut Creek to Martinez..."</ref> The ferry approach in Benicia became a spur of Route 74 in 1947,<ref>Template:Cite CAstat: "Route 74 is from:...(b) (a) above near M and East Second Street to East Fifth and C Streets, in Benicia."</ref> and, in 1953, it was transferred to Route 75. The same law, effective immediately as an urgency measure, authorized the Department of Public Works to acquire the ferry system, then operated by the city of Martinez, which was planning to shut it down.<ref>Template:Cite CAstat: "Route 75 is from:...(b) Route (a) above, north of Walnut Creek to a connection with Route 74 in Benicia." [Note that this law accidentally deleted portion (c) of Route 75; an urgency measure passed at the 1954 1st extraordinary session (chapter 8) corrected this error.]</ref> Ownership was transferred just after midnight on October 6, 1953.<ref>San Mateo Times, State Set to Take Over Benicia Ferry, September 29, 1953</ref>

History as an Interstate

File:San Francisco, California 1955 Yellow Book.jpg

1955 map of the planned Interstates in the San Francisco Bay Area. These early plans essentially called for an Interstate loop route that would head south down the San Francisco Peninsula from San Francisco to San Jose, then head north through the eastern cities of the East Bay to Vallejo. This route now basically comprises present-day I-280, I-680, and I-780.

The Bureau of Public Roads approved urban routes of the Interstate Highway System on September 15, 1955, including a loop around the San Francisco Bay, soon numbered I-280 and I-680. The east half (I-680) began at the interchange of US 101 north of Downtown San Jose and followed the Nimitz Freeway (SR 17/Route 69, now I-880) to the split at Warm Springs (the present location of SR 262), SR 21 to Benicia, and Route 74 (no sign route number) to I-80 in Vallejo.<ref>Bureau of Public Roads, General Location of National System of Interstate Highways, 1955: San Francisco</ref><ref name=selected>California Department of Transportation, State Highway Routes: Selected Information, 1994 with 1995 revisions, pp. 342, 348</ref><ref>H.M. Gousha Company, California, 1963</ref> The first piece of I-680 freeway built, other than the preexisting Nimitz Freeway, was in the late 1950s, along the SR 24 overlap between North Main Street in Walnut Creek and Monument Boulevard in Pleasant Hill.<ref>Oakland Tribune, Lafayette Bypass to Slash Travel Time for Commuters, September 9, 1956: "With another freeway link now under construction northward from Walnut Creek to the Monument..."</ref><ref>United States Geological Survey, Walnut Creek (scale 1:24000), 1959</ref> A southerly extension, bypassing downtown Walnut Creek to South Main Street, opened on March 22, 1960, connecting with the SR 24 freeway to Oakland.<ref>Oakland Tribune, Ceremony Salutes New Freeway Link, March 23, 1960</ref> In the next decade, the freeway was completed from Vallejo south to SR 238 at Mission San Jose, and the roadway north from Benicia to Fairfield, which became the only remaining piece of SR 21, was also upgraded to freeway standards.<ref name=bridgelog/><ref name=map-1968>H.M. Gousha Company, San Francisco, 1968</ref>

In the 1964 state highway renumbering, the legislative designation was changed to Route 680. SR 17 was officially moved to former Route 5 between San Jose and Warm Springs, which had not had a signed designation since the Nimitz Freeway (then I-680) was constructed,<ref name=law-renumbering>Template:Cite CAstat: "Route 17 is from: (a) Route 1 near Santa Cruz to Route 101 near Story Road. (b) Route 101 near San Jose to Route 680 near Warm Springs. (c) Route 680 near Warm Springs to Route 580 in Oakland..." "Route 680 is from Route 280 in San Jose to Route 80 in Vallejo passing near Warm Springs, Mission San Jose, Scotts Corners and Sunol, and via Walnut Creek and Benicia."</ref> but this was instead marked as part of SR 238 (which replaced SR 9 north of Mission San Jose), and SR 17 remained signed along the Nimitz Freeway.<ref>Oakland Tribune, Highway 9 Has a New Number, April 19, 1964</ref> This was very short-lived, as the Bureau of Public Roads approved a shift in the south end of I-680 in October 1964.<ref name=selected/> The legislature changed the routes in 1965, swapping Route 17 and Route 680 south of Warm Springs and creating a new SR 262 on the short roadway at Warm Springs where they had overlapped to switch sides.<ref>Template:Cite CAstat: "Route 262 is from Route 17 to Route 680 near Warm Springs." "Route 680 is from Route 101 near San Jose to Route 80 in Vallejo passing near Warm Springs, Mission San Jose, Scotts Corners and Sunol, and via Walnut Creek and Benicia."</ref><ref>Template:Cite CAstat: "Route 17 is from: (a) Route 1 near Santa Cruz to Route 80 in Oakland..."</ref> However, until I-680 was completed in the early-to-mid 1970s,<ref name=bridgelog/> it remained signed along the Nimitz Freeway, and the old road between San Jose and Warm Springs continued to be marked as SR 238.<ref name=map-1968/> One more change was made to the routing of I-680: in July 1973, the remainder of SR 21, from Benicia to Fairfield, was added to the Interstate Highway System. This became the new alignment of I-680, and the old route to Vallejo became I-780. The corresponding changes were made by the state legislature in 1976.<ref>Template:Cite CAstat: "Route 680 is from: (a) Route 101 near San Jose to Route 780 at Benicia passing near Warm Springs, Mission San Jose, Scotts Corners, and Sunol, and via Walnut Creek. (b) Route 780 at Benicia to Route 80 near Cordelia." "Route 780 is from Route 680 at Benicia to Route 80 in Vallejo."</ref>

See also

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External links

• Bay Area FasTrak – includes toll information on the I-680 Express Lanes, the Benicia–Martinez Bridge, and the other Bay Area toll facilities
• California Highways: Interstate 680
• California @ AARoads.com - I-680