I-680 Paving Project, Overnight Road Closures to Begin Monday in Sunol

Major changes are coming for for late night and early morning commuters who pass through Sunol and Pleasanton in the East Bay.

Starting Monday December 12, changes kick off as Caltrans will close a stretch of I-680 Northbound overnight on weekdays while workers repave the road.

• Look here to see the release from Caltrans on December 5 about this project.

The impacted stretch of road will be on Northbound I-680 from the State Route 84 junction in Sunol to Sunol Boulevard in Pleasanton. The closure will happen Mondays through Fridays from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. The work will start on December 12 and is expected to be completed in April of 2023.

Caltrans explained that these closures are part of a major improvement project which will repave and replace entire sections of 680 "and provide a smoother ride to motorists."

Caltrans said there will be signs on the road to direct drivers to detours.

Here are the detours which will be in place during these closure according to Caltrans:

• Regional detours will be activated to advise motorists coming from the South Bay to take I-880/SR-238/I-580 instead of I-680.
• For closures between the Koopman Road and Sunol Boulevard interchanges:
  • 680 North Traffic:
    Exit I-680 at Calaveras, take Paloma Way, take Pleasanton Sunol Road and re-enter northbound I-680 at Sunol Boulevard.
  • 580 East Traffic:
    Take eastbound SR-84 to I-580.
• For closures between Sunol Boulevard and Bernal Avenue:
  • 680 North Traffic
    Exit I-680 at Sunol Boulevard, take Bernal Avenue and re-enter the freeway from Bernal Avenue
  • 580 East Traffic
    Take eastbound SR-84 to I-580.

Caltrans also said that in 2023, work on I-680 will also require road closures for 72 hours on the Martin Luther King Day, President's Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day.

Caltrans has only listed road closures for this project from State Route 84 through Sunol Boulevard so far. However, Caltrans lists that the entire improvement project will take place between Koopman Road in Sunol and Alcosta Boulevard in San Ramon and that the work will continue moving northward. The entire effort is expected to last about a year and a half, Caltrans says.

While some drivers told NBC Bay Area that they are concerned these changes will impact commutes to their late-night jobs, many Bay Area residents said they recognize the road itself is in need of repairs.

"The freeway needs to be improved, it’s been a mess for years, it’s very loud, it’s very bumpy,” said Pleasanton resident Damon Williams.

"They’re doing it in the middle of the night, so it’s better than them doing it in the day when there’s commuters here,” Williams added. He said he lives near 680 and hopes that Caltrans might consider installing sound barriers while they work on the road there.

"The construction there has to be done, the freeway there has a lot of potholes,” said San Lorenzo resident Bruce Chan.

Chan said while he doesn't drive on 680 all the time, he expects that the detour traffic could impact his commute closer to San Lorenzo.

"That is going to be a problem for a lot of people," Chan acknowledged, adding "But how else are we gonna do this?”