New lanes opened as Highway 4 Widening Project nears completion
The Highway 4 Widening Project continues to achieve notable progress thanks to the opening of new lanes of traffic on eastbound and westbound Highway 4 at Hillcrest Avenue in Antioch. The eastbound lanes at Hillcrest Avenue were opened to traffic on Sunday, May 1, with the westbound lanes opening Thursday, May 5.
These lane openings are a significant milestone in the Highway 4 Widening Project as now all westbound highway lanes for the entire corridor are open to traffic.
“Now, instead of people spending their time on Highway 4, they’ll be spending it at home with their families,” said Doug Hardcastle, Chair of Transplan, the East County transportation advisory board. “Thanks to the taxpayers who supported Measure J to help fund the widening project. We look forward to getting the rest of it finished in the next year.”
The purpose of the $1 billion overall project is to improve traffic flow and motorist safety along a 10-mile stretch of freeway between Pittsburg and Antioch. Work at Hillcrest Avenue also includes the construction of a new BART station in Antioch.
“We want to thank the public for their patience. The Highway 4 Widening Project is vitally important to East County and the greater Bay Area in terms of mobility, economic revitalization, and, in the longer term, multi-modal options for 250,000 East County residents,” said Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) Executive Director Randy Iwasaki. “Because we have been carefully staging the work to occur at night, and opening each section of the widening project as it is completed, we have also been able to provide incremental congestion relief on this heavily used corridor, without any loss of capacity.”
See images of these newest lanes at the Highway 4 Widening Project’s website: http://4eastcounty.org/media/hillcrest-avenue-may-2016/.
“The improvements to Highway 4 that are brought about with this project and through this partnership are a benefit to every driver that has experienced the traffic congestion on this corridor,” said Caltrans District 4 Director Bijan Sartipi. “We look forward to crossing the finish line later this summer and giving the new and improved Highway 4 back to the residents of East Contra Costa County and all motorists.”
For additional information about the new lanes at Hillcrest, and other work on Highway 4, please visit the Highway 4 website at www.4eastcounty.org.
About the Highway 4 Projects
The Highway 4 projects include improvements that will help modernize eastern Contra Costa County. The projects expand Highway 4 from four to eight lanes between Loveridge Road in Pittsburg to just west of State Route 160 in Antioch, from two to four lanes from Lone Tree Way to Sand Creek Road in Brentwood, add missing connector ramps at the State Route 160/Highway 4 interchange, and add a BART extension from Pittsburg to Antioch. This will greatly improve transit accessibility for the region, help reduce traffic congestion, and enhance the quality of life for the more than 250,000 residents of eastern Contra Costa County. The projects have been carefully staged to keep 130,000 vehicles per day moving as major construction and demolition work continue. These projects, plus previously constructed projects in the region, bring the total investment in East County to $1.3 billion, including State, Federal, Contra Costa Transportation Authority Measures C and J, regional bridge tolls, and other funds.
About CCTA
The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) is a public agency formed by Contra Costa voters in 1988 to manage the county’s transportation sales tax program and oversee countywide transportation planning efforts. CCTA is responsible for planning, funding and delivering critical transportation infrastructure projects and programs that connect our communities, foster a strong economy, increase sustainability and safely and efficiently get people where they need to go. CCTA also serves as the county’s designated Congestion Management Agency, responsible for putting programs in place to keep traffic levels manageable. More information about CCTA can be found online at ccta.net.
