I-680 Contra Costa County Express Lanes

Highway traffic congestion in the Bay Area ranks among the worst in the U.S. and is anticipated to increase with future demand. With limited right-of-way and resources to add roads, the region must look for ways to get the most out of the existing transportation system. Express lanes provide traffic congestion relief and more reliable travel times by offering toll-free travel to carpools, eligible clean-air vehicles, motorcycles and buses, as well as the choice for solo drivers to pay a toll to use the lanes. Considered to be a major component of the Bay Area’s future highway system, the Contra Costa County express lanes will provide a 25-mile stretch of continuous express lanes from San Ramon to Martinez.

Gray-Bowen-Scott was retained first by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to serve as the project manager for the environmental phase of the lanes from San Ramon to Alamo. The Contra Costa Transportation Authority then retained us to serve as the project manager and controls team for the southbound lane from Martinez to Walnut Creek. Collaborating with numerous public agencies and private entities, GBS scoped, forecasted, and estimated the effort required to implement this comprehensive network of express lanes. The result: the successful launch of the first segments of the Express Lanes in Contra Costa County in 2018, and the full project on track to be fully functional by 2024.

Gray-Bowen-Scott is now managing the project for the final segment of the northbound lane from Alamo to Martinez, as part of our role on the Innovate 680 Program Management Team.