California connection construction contract

The contract to widen a key section of one of Northern California’s most congested highways has now been awarded. The US$107 million package of works will see the building of a new carpool and express lane along a 14.5km stretch of Interstate 680 in the Bay Area. The lane will be built along the northbound stretch of the highway between the Auto Mall Parkway and Highway 84. The southbound express lane will also be upgraded. Construction on this section is being funded by local sales taxes and the work is due to start in early 2018. An additional section could also be built to extend the extra lane to Highway 237 in 2021 if further funding is secured. The package of works was awarded by the Alameda Transportation Commission and the project is intended to reduce journey times for drivers along the route, which suffers long delays at peak periods.