Caltrans: Project to widen I-80 will ‘help truckers’

Officials say a project aimed at alleviating congestion along Interstate 80 in Solano County will help truckers and encourage people to use public transit or carpool. 

The project will widen I-80 between Sacramento and the Bay Area by making 18 miles of express lanes on both the east and west sides of the interstate along the Vacaville-Fairfield corridor. 

Traffic in that area is expected to increase by ⅓ by 2040, but the area hasn’t been widened since the 1970s. 

“We’re constructing brand-new express lanes in the city of Vacaville starting at Leisure Town Road, that’s on the eastbound side of I-80. Then, we’ll switch over later this year to the westbound side on Red Top Road in the city of Fairfield where we’ll convert those HOV lanes to express lanes,” said Caltrans District 4 spokesperson Pedro Quintana.

 “Solano County is seeing that housing boom, that economic boom and many people are traveling through this I-80 corridor. Remember this is the I-80 freight corridor as well, so we see a lot of trucks through this area,” said Quintana. “What we have seen is that express lanes work and that there’s an increase in traffic along this I-80 corridor in Solano County.”

Quintana says many trucks hauling goods from Oakland use the corridor to travel into Sacramento, and hopes that the express lanes will not only help those drivers, but will allow better access for emergency responders, and may even encourage motorists to carpool or use public transit for free access to the new express lanes. People driving alone would be required to have a FasTrak tag and pay a toll to use the lanes. 

The project is scheduled for completion in spring 2025.