Interstate 680 HOV Direct Access Ramps
The I-680 High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Direct Access Ramps Project would provide more convenient, direct access for transit vehicles and HOVs to and from San Ramon destinations (including the San Ramon Transit Center), reduce weaving across multiple freeway lanes by transit vehicles and carpoolers entering or exiting the freeway, improve travel times for transit vehicles and HOVs, reduce the number of transit vehicles and HOVs traveling through the congested Crow Canyon and Bollinger Canyon Road intersections, and improve local and regional transit/HOV links.
In 2004, Contra Costa voters approved Measure J, which continued the County’s half-cent transportation sales tax program to 2034. The Measure J Expenditure Plan includes funding for improvements along the I-680 corridor, including the” I-680 Carpool Lane Gap Closure/Transit Corridor Improvements.” One component of the improvements is the addition of High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) on- and off-ramps, called Direct Access Ramps, in San Ramon.
The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA), in concert with the City of San Ramon and Caltrans, completed a Project Study Report (PSR)* for the I-680 HOV Direct Access Ramps (HOV DAR) Project in March 2010 that studied Norris Canyon and a “No Build” alternative. Executive Parkway is currently being studied in addition to Norris Canyon and a “No Build” alternative. The project cost estimate at the time of the PSR was $102 million (escalated dollars) for the Norris Canyon HOV DAR alternative. This cost estimate will be updated during the environmental process.
Conducting an open and transparent process that provides multiple opportunities for community involvement is a key goal of the project. Members of the public are encouraged to participate during public meetings to provide input and feedback during the project development and environmental review process. A meeting was held in November 2011 and public workshops with additional information were held in spring 2012 and spring 2013.
The next steps in the project development and environmental review process involve conducting environmental technical studies and preparing a draft Environmental Document (ED). Community members are encouraged to review the draft ED, which is anticipated to be released in spring 2016, and provide written comments. A public meeting to discuss the draft ED is being planned for spring 2016. Release of the final ED is anticipated in late 2016. Following approval of the ED and project design, construction of the project would take place from 2018-2019, pending funding availability.