People on the road Saturday experienced delays of over an hour, as Caltrans workers redirected southbound cars on I-680 to detours. Those drivers taking detours also translated to major congestion on other Bay Area freeways.
The closure, which starts at Sunol Boulevard and continues to Koopman Road, began Friday night and is expected to continue until 4 a.m. Monday.
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Several drivers shared their stories with NBC Bay Area.
Salvador Jimenez said he got a call from his daughter Saturday evening, telling him she had gotten a flat tire in Livermore.
“She called a tow truck,” he said. “And the tow truck canceled because it was a lot of traffic, they couldn’t come. So I came to change her tire.”
Jimenez told NBC Bay Area getting back home was slow and painful, taking around 2 hours. His advice to other drivers: use the bathroom first.
Another piece of advice, this one from Gale Macklin: fill up on gas. When she spoke with NBC Bay Area, her tank was nearly empty and there wasn’t a gas station for miles.
While the weekend closure is inconvenient, it will ultimately benefit Bay Area drivers, according to Caltrans. The section it’s replacing had deteriorated over the years and was full of potholes.
All southbound lanes are planned to re-open at 4 a.m. Monday. Caltrans has future plans to re-pave other sections of I-680 and will announce more weekend closures in the future.
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