Our Interstate 80 drive became a 5-hour nightmare: Roadshow

Q: Returning to the Bay Area from Sacramento via Interstate 80 was a nightmare on the afternoon of Monday, July 5. It took us over five hours to get from Old Town in Sacramento to Mountain View. Sadly, due to work constraints, we both needed to return on the 5th instead of staying an extra day. Huge mistake!

Michael Siladi, Mountain View

A: Egads, five hours. A huge mistake indeed. You have my sympathy.

Q: With every merge onto I-80, and there are a many of them, traffic would grind to a halt for several miles. Entering Vacaville before I-505, I-80 goes from three to four lanes. Even with that increase, traffic was backed up for miles. Granted that holiday traffic exacerbated the situation, but there is a need for I-80 to be at least four lanes from Sacramento to Vacaville, and probably five lanes from 505 to the diamond lanes near Solano.

There are several spots along I-80 where there are metering lights but none were on. I think that having those meters working Monday would have greatly improved traffic flow.

Are there any plans to add lanes to I-80? Or turn on metering lights?

Michael Siladi

A: There are plans to fill in gaps for carpool lanes and to add express lanes from Sacramento to the Bay Area. Along I-80, express lanes will be considered, but it’s far too early to hazard a guess as to when any future express lanes might open between the Bay Bridge and the Carquinez Bridge. In Solano County, the picture is clearer. Construction to add express lanes to I-80 between Red Top Road and I-505 could be done in four more years.

Turning on metering lights would have helped and should be considered.

But you did have one bit of good news.

Q: The stop-and-go traffic at the Nut Tree allowed us to discover a Fenton’s Creamery, which we would not have noticed at usual freeway speeds. The sandwiches were great and the milkshake was extraordinary.

Michael Siladi

A: They usually are at Fenton’s.

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I slowed down for an ambulance, so why did the driver blast his horn?

Q: Before COVID, I commuted from San Jose to Long Beach once a month. Interstate 5 is at least four lanes each way in L.A. County and three to five lanes each way in the Sacramento area, but the majority of I-5 is just two lanes each way. Instead of investing heavily in high-speed rail, why …read more

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