Interstate 205 Managed Lanes Project

ongoing

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), in cooperation with the San Joaquin Council of Governments, proposes to install managed lanes on Interstate 205 through the City of Tracy, accommodate transit hubs, and improve interchanges between post mile R1.7 on Interstate 580 and post mile R13.5 on Interstate 5. The project limits extend from the Interstate 580 and the West Grant Line Road interchange in Alameda County to the Interstate 205 and the Interstate 5 interchange in San Joaquin County. Managed lanes are highway lanes that are actively managed to respond to an area’s rapid growth. Interstate 205 in the City of Tracy has been identified as an area of heavy congestion, resulting from high truck volumes and commuters that travel to and from the Bay Area. Examples of managed lanes being considered for the proposed project include high-occupancy vehicle lanes, transit lanes, and express (or toll) lanes. The project is proposing one No-Build Alternative and four Build Alternatives. Under the No-Build Alternative, the project would not be built, and the area would be left in its current condition. Three of the four Build Alternatives would involve widening. Build Alternative 2 would involve partial widening; Build Alternative 3 would not involve widening but would convert an existing lane into a high-occupancy vehicle lane. Build Alternatives 4 and 5 would involve widening the length of the project area and would leave a 60-foot-wide median space open for future transit improvements. Local road overcrossings, undercrossings, and interchanges would be altered or reconfigured, if necessary, based on the alternative. Each Build Alternative may include detention or retention basins, access roads, and up to four transit hubs. Transit hub features may include park-and-ride lots, electric vehicle charging stations, and bus and train stops. Locations for transit hubs would be determined in coordination with stakeholders, which would include but would not be limited to the following: Federal Highway Administration, Caltrans, Valley Link, San Joaquin Council of Governments, City of Tracy, Community of Mountain House, Alameda County, San Joaquin County, local transit, and the interested public. The transit hubs would be located to improve access to the transit facility and avoid precluding connectivity to local communities. The proposed project could build facilities within the right-of-way, such as rail stops, to accommodate connection to the corridor, but may or may not build the actual transit hubs.