Caltrans' Simultaneous Closure Of 2 Overpasses Raises Concern

By Katy St. Clair, Bay City News Foundation

SOLANO COUNTY, CA — Caltrans has announced that it will soon be closing two overpasses at the same time above Interstate Highway 80 in Vallejo as part of its Six Bridges Project, but there are community concerns about the traffic it will create elsewhere.

The project began in May 2021 and is raising the vertical clearance of each Vallejo overpass to meet federal standards. The Springs Road, Magazine Street, and Benicia Road overpasses have all been completed. The Benicia Road overpass just reopened Wednesday.

Remaining are the Georgia Street, Tennessee Street, and Redwood Street overpasses. The Georgia Street overpass was closed on Thursday to begin three to four months of construction, to be followed by Tennessee Street, which will begin "about two weeks later," according to Caltrans.

The closure of both overpasses at once has raised concerns with some residents who say they fear the traffic congestion it will create. Both the Georgia Street and Tennessee Street overpasses are main arteries in Vallejo and their closures could lead to increased traffic on Redwood Street and Solano Avenue.

"I know it has to be done, but two at once?" said Vallejo resident Debbie Garcia. "I can't even imagine the increase of traffic on Redwood and Solano. Not to mention Admiral Callahan [Lane] to get to either street."

RELATED: Benicia Road Bridge Reopens At I-80; Georgia Street Bridge Closes

Garcia questions whether the Vallejo City Council advised against the dual-closure idea during information sessions with Caltrans.

Mayor Robert McConnell acknowledged that the council was indeed updated on the Six Bridges Project, but that two overpasses being closed simultaneously was not, to his recollection, mentioned until a December meeting.

"The two overpass closures cause concern to me as one who frequently uses those three impacted overpasses more than any other ones in town," said McConnell, adding that he hopes that existing traffic impediments on Redwood and Tuolumne streets will be mitigated by Caltrans before construction begins.

The mayor also raised concern with Caltrans about closing the Redwood overpass in the spring and summer, citing access to popular seasonal destinations like the county fair and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.

"We realize that there's never a 'good time' to close Redwood Street," Caltrans spokesperson Vince Jacala said. "We purposely left it for last in the hopes that by the time we got there, motorists would have a better understanding of the project and the best ways to maneuver around it."

Jacala acknowledged the inconvenience, but said that most traffic to Six Flags comes from state Highway 37, not I-80. Also, he said that workers will have mastered the process of raising the vertical clearance on the bridges by then, which will allow the process to go faster and more safely.

As a state agency, Caltrans does not need to get approval for projects from city governments.
Jacala says the agency has been "totally transparent" about the closures and pointed to a mailer that went out in December to more than 20,000 residents and businesses near both overpasses that announced the double closure. He also said that both the City Council and Vallejo's public works department were indeed notified in December.

However, the Six Bridges Project's website still states that the bridges will be constructed "one at a time."

Jacala said the decision to work on two at a time was made in an effort to save time and money.

"It's a little bit of pain now, but we'll be out of there by summertime," he said. "It decreases the costs as well, because you spend less time [on the project overall], and that savings goes back to this and other local projects."

Information about the project can be found on this Caltrans webpage.

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