Brady PieperThe U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is investing $166.1 million into a comprehensive transportation program in Contra Costa County, California. The program, led by the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA), will reduce congestion, improve vehicular safety and implement advanced metering technology along segments of Interstate 680, one of the most congested corridors in the nation.
The DOT will distribute the grant to CCTA through the National Infrastructure Project Assistance (MEGA) Program, a federal initiative that funds large-scale or complex transportation projects. This funding will support elements of the authority’s key transportation improvement program, INNOVATE 680.
The INNOVATE 680 program is a cornerstone of CCTA’s ongoing efforts to address traffic congestion and modernize the transportation infrastructure in Contra Costa County. The program features six projects poised to improve road safety, reduce emissions and enhance efficiency in the region’s transportation system.
The funding will specifically support the program’s technical and physical development initiatives, which will conduct a variety of construction, ramp metering and express lane projects throughout several segments of I-680.
The Coordinated Adaptive Ramp Metering Project is an ambitious technological initiative set to improve reliability and productivity on a 19-mile segment of I-680. The project will install Coordinated Adaptive Ramp Metering (CARM) on northbound I-680 between Alcosta Boulevard and Olympic Boulevard and provide upgrades to the existing California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Traffic Operations Systems.
These CARM upgrades will add traffic detection technologies, domain awareness and communication bandwidth to provide real-time, adaptive traffic mitigation solutions and reduce vehicle-related incidents.
Addressing a lack of existing express lanes on the highway, CCTA plans to relieve congestion, reduce travel delays and improve operations through the I-680 Northbound Express Lane Completion project. Developed in partnership with Caltrans, the initiative would construct a northbound express lane on the interstate from Livorna Road to SR-242 and convert an existing high-occupancy vehicle lane to an express lane from SR-242 to north of Arthur Road.
Depending on final designs, this project will also include additional lane repurposing, highway realignment along I-680 and the construction of a braided ramp system between the North Main Street and Treat Boulevard interchanges in Walnut Creek. The ramp system would address an existing bottleneck caused by vehicle weaving and would install CARM technology.
These projects will collectively enter the design stage after securing funding to advance the I-680 program. CCTA and its partners will begin construction on projects starting in 2027. Full completion on all INNOVATE 680 projects is expected by 2028.
Photo courtesy Michael Hicks
