Partial closure of I-80 for pavement repair impacts travel over Labor Day weekend
VALLEJO, Calif. - Caltrans crews worked 12-hour shifts and raced against the clock Friday along westbound Interstate 80, between Vallejo and Hercules, where a major resurfacing project has closed a three-mile stretch of the highway over the Labor Day holiday weekend.
"We're trying to compress over 106 work days into four days," said Pedro Quintana, a Caltrans spokesman. "We actually are ahead of schedule right now."
By Friday afternoon, crews had already demolished the surface of one lane and were installing rebar to reinforce the roadway. A procession of cement trucks queued up to pour the new concrete surface, allowing it to cure during the holiday weekend.
According to Quintana, once the road resurfacing is complete, the pavement is expected to endure for 20 years.
However, drivers have reported significant delays and inconveniences due to the closure and detours.
I-80 highway shutdown poses challenge for Labor Day travelers
Packed planes and crowded roads are expected for travelers heading out for the Labor Day holiday weekend.
"Traffic was bumper to bumper. It was crazy. It was backed all the way up past American Canyon," said Rashad Sohan, a Crockett resident headed to Benicia Friday morning.
Lois Ambrose, another Crockett resident headed to Emeryville, said, "My normal Friday 20-minute commute took me almost an hour and 40 minutes this morning. Going to Highway 4, it was just a parking lot. People weren't moving at all."
The detours also negatively impacted Friday night business at the Dead Fish, a landmark Crockett restaurant located at the westbound side exit of I-80.
"Normally about 6 p.m. we'd have a line out the door. We'd have at least 400 reservations. We have 153 reservations," said Peter Demarest, general manager of The Dead Fish.
Demarest said he had to tell employees not to come in, and cancellation calls for Friday and the rest of the holiday weekend were pouring in.
"We lost a banquet for Sunday, 50 people. Two reservations I know of, 15 and 12, both canceled," said Demarest, "This will be the worst weekend of the year, whereas last year was our top three."
Employees had a hard time getting to work.
Deanna Epperly, who resides in Vallejo just on the other side of the Carquinez Bridge, typically enjoys an 8-minute drive across the bridge on a typical day.
However, with the bridge closed on Friday, the detour could have taken her up to 1 hour and 25 minutes. So Epperly chose to walk across the bridge.
"It's kind of eerie with no traffic. It's dead quiet. You can't hear the traffic on the other side at all," said Epperly.
After overcoming all the hurdles to reach her workplace, Epperly found that there were few occupied tables and limited tips.
Demarest confirmed that the restaurant plans to remain open throughout the weekend and hopes that patrons will visit or show their support once the repaving project concludes.
He also noted that Caltrans had made efforts to support local businesses by providing two months' advance notice, informational flyers for the restaurant to distribute, and offering assistance in working with business insurance companies to explore possible partial compensation.