Skip to main content

Interstate 980

This past month I drove the entirety of Interstate 980 upon returning to the San Francisco Bay Area.


I-980 is a short 2 mile long connecting Interstate in downtown Oakland which connects I-880 eastward to I-580/CA 24.

The route that eventually became I-980 was legislatively defined in 1959 a refinement to Legislative Route Number 226 between what was US 50 and CA 17. This change to LRN 226 first appears on the 1960 State Highway Map.

1960 State Highway Map City Insert

During the 1964 State Highway Renumbering LRN 226 between US 50/I-580 and CA 17 was designated as part of future freeway alignment of CA 24.

1964 State Highway Map City Insert

By 1970 the route of the CA 24 freeway opened from Caldecott Tunnels west to downtown Oakland.  CA 24 at the time terminated just west of I-580 at Martin Luther King Jr. Way in downtown Oakland.

1970 State Highway Map

I-980 was designated as a future Interstate corridor by 1976 according to CAhighways.org.

CAhighways.org on I-980

The current route of I-980 was transferred from CA 24 in 1981.  The change is reflective on the 1982 State Highway City Insert.

1982 State Highway Map City Insert

By 1986 the full route of I-980 between I-880 and I-580/CA 24 was completed.

1986 State Highway Map

My approach to I-980 was from the Jackson Street ramp in downtown Oakland.  From Jackson Street I jumped onto I-880 northbound and took the ramp to I-980 east.  I-980 east is signed as a connecting route to CA 24.






The First Unitarian Church of Oakland, Pardee Home, Oakland China Town and Oakland Convention Center are signed from Exit 1A on I-980 east.  17th Street and former US 40 on San Pablo Avenue are signed as being accessible from Exit 1B.




Access to the Paramount Theatre is signed for Exit 1B.






Traffic is advised past Exit 1B to use I-580 west to reach I-80 from I-980 east.


CA 24 east traffic is advised to stay left from the east terminus of I-980 whereas I-580 traffic exits to the right.  I was headed onto I-580 west and turned off I-980 towards San Francisco.






Comments

Popular posts from this blog

North Carolina Continues to Move Forward with Rail

2023 and the first half of 2024 have seen continued growth in North Carolina's passenger rail system.  From increased daily trains from Raleigh to Charlotte, federal funds for studying additional corridors, and receiving a historic grant to begin the construction of high-speed rail between Raleigh and Richmond, the last 18 months have been a flurry of activity at NCDOT's Rail Division.  And that's just the tip of the iceberg. As ridership and routes increase - the engine of North Carolina passenger rail trains will become a more common sight. (Adam Prince) Increased Passenger Train Service: On July 10, 2023, a fourth Piedmont round-trip rail service between Raleigh and Charlotte commenced.  The four Piedmont trains plus the daily Carolinian (to Washington, DC, and New York) bring the total of trains serving the two cities daily to five. The current daily Piedmont and Carolinian schedule between Charlotte and Raleigh (NCDOT) The result was over 641,000 passengers utilized pa

US Route 101 in Benbow, Garberville and Redway

The communities of Benbow, Garberville and Redway can all be found along US Route 101 within southern Humboldt County.  The former surface alignment of US Route 101 in Garberville and Redway once crossed the Garberville Bluffs along what is now Redwood Drive via a corridor constructed as part of the Redwood Highway during the 1910s.  US Route 101 through Benbow, Garberville and Redway was modernized by 1935.  US Route 101 would eventually be upgraded to freeway standards in Benbow, Garberville and Redway by extension of the Redwood Freeway during 1966-68.  As the cover photo the original grade of US Route 101 and the Redwood Highway can be seen at the Garberville Bluffs during 1934.  US Route 101 can be seen in the communities of Benbow, Garberville and Redway on the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Humboldt County .   The history of US Route 101 in Benbow, Garberville and Redway Benbow, Garberville and Redway lie on the banks of the South Fork Eel River of southern Humboldt County.  D

The Midway Palm and Pine of US Route 99

Along modern day California State Route 99 south of Avenue 11 just outside the City limits of Madera one can find the Midway Palm and Pine in the center median of the freeway.  The Midway Palm and Pine denotes the halfway point between the Mexican Border and Oregon State Line on what was US Route 99.  The Midway Palm is intended to represent Southern California whereas the Midway Pine is intended to represent Northern California.  Pictured above the Midway Palm and Pine can be seen from the northbound lanes of the California State Route 99 Freeway.   This blog is part of the larger Gribblenation US Route 99 Page.  For more information pertaining to the other various segments of US Route 99 and it's three-digit child routes check out the link the below. Gribblenation US Route 99 Page The history of the Midway Palm and Pine The true timeframe for when the Midway Palm and Pine (originally a Deadora Cedar Tree) were planted is unknown.  In fact, the origin of the Midway Palm and Pine w