ALAMEDA COUNTY, Calif. (KRON) — Flooding and a mudslide shut down all lanes of I-880 in Fremont on Sunday. It caused a major traffic jam as drivers were diverted around the mess.
As of Sunday evening, the northbound lanes are still closed and two lanes on the southbound side are open. Caltrans crews are still working to get the freeway completely open.
Officials said both northbound and southbound lanes should be reopened by around midnight — northbound lanes within the next four hours and southbound lanes within the next two. The goal is to get all lanes open before Monday morning’s commute, according to Caltrans.
“Thank goodness this didn’t happen on a Monday morning, but it still caused a major backup in the East Bay,” said Caltrans spokesperson Pedro Quintana.
Caltrans responded to a rock and mudslide near a railroad overcrossing on I-880 in Fremont Sunday morning.
Tons of debris covered the northbound lanes. Then the north and southbound lanes became flooded shutting both sides of the freeway down for several hours.
Caltrans worked to get the lanes back open, using pumps to get the water out and a tractor to collect the debris.
The agency is working with Union Pacific Railway to secure the area that slid down.
“Our engineers with their engineers inspected the slide. Seeing what we can do to stabilize it and secure it so we can open up the highway for motorists,” Quintana said.
The latest storm has Caltrans crews busy at many locations across the Bay Area.
“Our Caltrans crews have been working 12-hour shifts from this past Thursday,” Quintana said. “They have been positioning equipment, they have been looking for those prone areas, and addressing any hazards that need to be addressed quickly.”
Bay Area roads have endured months of rainy weather causing wear and tear on highways — something Caltrans looks for daily.
“We have seen months of unprecedented rain in a short period of time in the Bay Area so our roads are very saturated right now,” Quintana said. “We have engineers working with our maintenance crews — making sure our infrastructure is withholding the storms.”
Crews are looking at bridges and highways, making sure they are still safe for motorists. The Bay Area has another atmospheric river on the way. Caltrans has a recommendation for drivers.
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“If you have the luxury of working from home, please do so,” Quintana said. “But we understand kids have to go to school, need to be picked up, doctors appts. Asking people to plan ahead. Go to Caltrans quick map, make sure roads are open and they can avoid any hazards.”
As Caltrans continues to respond to roadway issues caused by the storm, just remember to not go around closures or barriers. Drivers are asked to give CHP and Caltrans space as they work to fix the issue.
