.svg) Interstate 680 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 I-680 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Auxiliary route ofI-80 | ||||
| Maintained byCaltrans | ||||
| Length | 70.52 mi[1] (113.49 km) | |||
| History | State highway in 1933; Interstate in 1955 | |||
| Tourist routes |  I-680 between Mission Boulevard (SR 238) inFremont toSR 24 inWalnut Creek[2] | |||
| NHS | Entire route | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |   I-280 /US 101 inSan Jose | |||
| Major intersections | ||||
| North end |   I-80 /SR 12 inFairfield | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | California | |||
| Counties | Santa Clara,Alameda,Contra Costa,Solano | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
Interstate 680 (I-680) is a north–southauxiliary Interstate Highway inNorthern California. It curves around the eastern cities of theSan Francisco Bay Area fromSan Jose toI-80 atFairfield, bypassing cities along the eastern shore ofSan Francisco Bay such asOakland andRichmond while serving others more inland such asPleasanton andConcord.
Built in the 1920s as SR 21 and designated in 1955, I-680 begins at a junction withI-280 andUS Route 101 (US 101/Bayshore Freeway) and heads northeast and north-northwest through the northeast part of San Jose. After passingState Route 237 (SR 237) inMilpitas andSR 262 inFremont, I-680 abruptly turns northeast (where a connection to aSR 238 freeway was planned) and enters the hills and valleys of theCalifornia Coast Ranges. The highway crosses overMission Pass, also known as the Sunol Grade, and descends into theSunol Valley, where it meetsSR 84 nearSunol. From Sunol, I-680 again heads north-northwesterly through valleys, including theSan Ramon Valley, along theCalaveras Fault. Junctions along this portion includeI-580 inDublin andSR 24 inWalnut Creek. Beyond the latter interchange, athree-way directional junction with the SR 24 freeway west toOakland, I-680 heads north intoPleasant Hill, whereSR 242 splits and I-680 again heads northwesterly. After the junction withSR 4 inMartinez, the highway crosses theCarquinez Strait on theBenicia–Martinez Bridge, immediately meeting the east end ofI-780 on theBenicia end. The remainder of I-680, from Benicia to I-80 atFairfield, lies between a hilly area to the west representing the southwestern tip of theVaca Mountains, and amarshy area (along theSuisun Bay andCordelia Slough) to the east.[3]
The entirety of I-680 is defined in section 620 of theCalifornia Streets and Highways Code asRoute 680, and that the highway is from:[4]
(a)Route 101 nearSan Jose toRoute 780 atBenicia passing nearWarm Springs,Mission San Jose, Scotts Corners, andSunol, and viaWalnut Creek.
(b) Route 780 at Benicia toRoute 80 nearCordelia.
This definition roughly corresponds with theFederal Highway Administration (FHWA)'s route logs of I-680.[5][1]
I-680 begins atUS 101 at theJoe Colla Interchange, where it acts as a continuation ofI-280 eastward.[6] From here, it begins its journey northward throughSan Jose, where it meets theCapitol Expressway, signed asCounty Route G21 (CR G21), about a mile (1.6 km) northeast of I-680's southern terminus.[7] The next exit northbound isSR 130, which is also known as Alum Rock Avenue, unsigned at the intersection.[8][9] As it continues throughSanta Clara County, it meets numerous local roads before interchanging with theMontague Expressway (CR G4). Here, it exits San Jose and enters the city ofMilpitas, where it meetsSR 237, often referred to as Calaveras Boulevard. After one more intersection, I-680 exits Santa Clara County and entersAlameda County.[7]
In Alameda County, the freeway begins in the city ofFremont, where it intersectsSR 262, which was unsigned until 2000. Continuing through the city, it meetsMission Boulevard atSR 238 before exiting the city. Prior to 2002, twoghost ramps existed here, remains of an abandoned freeway project replacing Mission Boulevard.[7] Amid Alameda County, it abruptly turns northeastward and enters a hilly area, where it crosses overMission Pass, and descends into theSunol Valley, where it runs concurrently withSR 84 for a short while. Afterward, it entersPleasanton and intersects withI-580, currently California's longest auxiliary Interstate providing access toOakland and theCentral Valley. It entersDublin for a short segment before exiting the county and enteringContra Costa County.[7][6]
Upon entering Contra Costa County, the route meets numerous local roads through the cities ofSan Ramon,Danville, andAlamo before enteringWalnut Creek, where it meetsSR 24.[7] I-680 then entersPleasant Hill for a short time andConcord, where it meetsSR 242. Upon exiting Concord, it meetsSR 4. It then entersMartinez, where it follows theBenicia–Martinez Bridge over theCarquinez Strait, on which the route crosses the county line and entersBenicia inSolano County.[7][10][6] On the Benicia–Martinez Bridge, I-680 northbound istolled, while I-680 southbound is free. In Benicia, I-680 interchanges withI-780. It then exits the city and, after passing through rural areas, routing parallel to theSan Joaquin Delta, it entersFairfield, where it meetsI-80, which is the route's northern terminus.[6]
In the wake of theSeptember 11 attacks, aUS flag was painted on a large piece of concrete on a hill along theSunol Grade. It stayed there for nine years before theCalifornia Department of Transportation (Caltrans) painted it over, as the mural had been painted on without authorization.[11]
Of the above names, only the nameSinclair Freeway for its designated portion usually appears on maps, and the other portions on maps are always unnamed, referred to as simplyI-680.[10]
I-680 is part of theCalifornia Freeway and Expressway System[12] and is part of theNational Highway System,[5] a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by theFederal Highway Administration (FHWA).[13] I-680 is eligible to be included in theState Scenic Highway System from the Santa Clara–Alameda county line to SR 24 inWalnut Creek[14] but is only a scenic route from Mission Boulevard to the Contra Costa county line and from the Alameda county line to SR 24;[15] this means that those portions are substantial sections of highway passing through a "memorable landscape" with no "visual intrusions", where the potential designation has gained popular favor with the community.[16]
There are two sections ofHigh-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes along I-680: the Sunol Express Lanes and the Contra Costa Express Lanes.[17][18]
The 14-mile (23 km) southbound Sunol HOT lane along I-680 between SR 84 inAlameda County and through theSunol Grade to SR 237 inSanta Clara County opened on September 20, 2010.[19] The northbound HOT lane along roughly the same stretch, specifically between SR 84 and Auto Mall Parkway inFremont, opened in October 2020 but initially ashigh-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes; tolling was halted on this segment of I-680 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic and resumed in fall 2022.[20]
The Contra Costa HOT lanes then opened in October 2017 in both directions on the portion from slightly south of Alcosta Boulevard near the Alameda–Contra Costa line to a point between Livorna Road and Rudgear Road near theAlamo–Walnut Creek city limits.[21] On August 20, 2021, the southbound HOT lanes were extended north to Marina Vista Boulevard in Martinez.[22]
As of January 2025[update], both HOT sections' hours of operation is weekdays between 5:00 am and 8:00 pm; they are otherwise free and open to all vehicles at other times. Solo drivers are tolled using acongestion pricing system based on the real-time levels of traffic. Carpools, motorcycles, and clean air vehicles with two or more people are not charged. For clean-air vehicles with a solo driver, 50 percent of the posted toll is charged.[17][18] All tolls are collected using anopen road tolling system, and therefore there are no toll booths to receive cash. Each vehicle using the HOT lanes is required to carry aFasTrakFlex transponder with its switch set to indicate the number of the vehicle's occupants (1, 2, or 3+). Those with clean air vehicles need to apply for a special FasTrakCAV tag. Solo drivers may also use the FasTrak standard tag without the switch.[17][18] Drivers without any FasTrak tag will be assessed a toll violation regardless of whether they qualified for free.[23]
As of 2020[update], there are environmental studies to also extend the northbound toll lanes from Livorna Road to Marina Vista Avenue, as well as closing the nine-mile express lane gap between Sunol and San Ramon. Neither have begun construction, nor are there any near plans to do so.[24][25]
Tolls are collected only for northbound traffic on theBenicia–Martinez Bridge headed to Benicia.All-electronic tolling is also used on the bridge, and they can be paid by either aFasTrak transponder or license plate tolling. Thehigh-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane leading to the bridge requires a car with three or more people.[26][27]
.jpg)
 State Route 21 | |
|---|---|
| Location | San Jose -Fairfield |
| Existed | 1934–1976 |
By the 1920s, a road ran south fromMartinez throughWalnut Creek,Dublin,Danville, andSunol toMission San Jose, where it metLegislative Route 5 (Mission Boulevard, signed over the years asUS 48,US 101E,SR 9, and nowSR 238). It was not yetpaved south of Dublin, where it crossedMission Pass between theSunol Valley and theSan Francisco Bay basin.[10] The majority of this roadway was added to the state highway system in 1933 as portions of several routes:Route 108 from Mission San Jose to Sunol,Route 107 from Sunol to Walnut Creek, andRoute 75 from Walnut Creek toPleasant Hill.[28][29]
At Martinez, the Martinez–Benicia Ferry took automobiles across theCarquinez Strait toBenicia, whereRoute 7, one of the original state highways from the 1910bond issue, led north and northeast pastFairfield towardSacramento andOregon.[30] The portion north from Benicia to Fairfield became part of Route 74 in 1935, when Route 7 was realigned to the more directAmerican Canyon route that is nowI-80.[31] None of the aforementioned roads were given state sign route numbers in 1934, when that system was laid out,[32] but, by 1937, they had been numbered SR 21.[33] This route began at the intersection of Warm Springs Boulevard and Brown Road in Warm Springs, where Route 5 andRoute 69 (SR 17) split, followed Route 5 alongMission Boulevard to Mission San Jose (this part later became aconcurrency withSR 9), and then continued toUS 40 (Route 7) at Cordelia. The routing was very close to the present I-680, following such roads as Pleasanton Sunol Road, San Ramon Valley Boulevard, Danville Boulevard, Main Street in Walnut Creek, Contra Costa Boulevard, and Pacheco Boulevard.[34]
The portion of SR 21 between Pleasant Hill and Martinez was finally added to the state highway system in 1949, as a branch of Route 75.[35] The ferry approach in Benicia became a spur of Route 74 in 1947,[36] and, in 1953, it was transferred to Route 75. The same law, effective immediately as an urgency measure, authorized theDepartment of Public Works to acquire the ferry system, then operated by the city of Martinez, which was planning to shut it down.[37] Ownership was transferred just after midnight on October 6, 1953.[38]
TheBureau of Public Roads approved urban routes of theInterstate Highway System on September 15, 1955, including a loop around theSan Francisco Bay, soon numberedI-280 and I-680. The east half (I-680) began at the interchange ofUS 101 north ofDowntown San Jose and followed theNimitz Freeway (SR 17/Route 69, nowI-880) to the split at Warm Springs (the present location ofSR 262), SR 21 to Benicia, and Route 74 (no sign route number) toI-80 inVallejo.[39][40][41] The first piece of I-680 freeway built, other than the preexisting Nimitz Freeway, was in the late 1950s, along theSR 24 overlap between North Main Street inWalnut Creek and Monument Boulevard inPleasant Hill.[42][43] A southerly extension, bypassing downtown Walnut Creek to South Main Street, opened on March 22, 1960, connecting with the SR 24 freeway toOakland.[44] In the next decade, the freeway was completed from Vallejo south toSR 238 atMission San Jose, and the roadway north from Benicia to Fairfield, which became the only remaining piece of SR 21, was also upgraded to freeway standards.[45][46]
In the1964 state highway renumbering, the legislative designation was changed to Route 680.SR 17 was officially moved to former Route 5 between San Jose and Warm Springs, which had not had a signed designation since the Nimitz Freeway (then I-680) was constructed,[47] but this was instead marked as part ofSR 238 (which replacedSR 9 north of Mission San Jose), and SR 17 remained signed along the Nimitz Freeway.[48] This was very short-lived, as theBureau of Public Roads approved a shift in the south end of I-680 in October 1964.[40] The legislature changed the routes in 1965, swapping Route 17 and Route 680 south of Warm Springs and creating a newSR 262 on the short roadway at Warm Springs where they hadoverlapped to switch sides.[49][50] However, until I-680 was completed in the early-to-mid 1970s,[45] it remained signed along the Nimitz Freeway, and the old road between San Jose and Warm Springs continued to be marked as SR 238.[46] One more change was made to the routing of I-680: in July 1973, the remainder of SR 21, from Benicia to Fairfield, was added to the Interstate Highway System. This became the new alignment of I-680, and the old route to Vallejo becameI-780. The corresponding changes were made by the state legislature in 1976.[51] Because the approximate 12.5-mile (20.1 km) segment from Benicia to Fairfield was completed without federal Interstate funding when it was still SR 21, it is designated as a "non-chargable",23 U.S.C. § 103(c)(4)(A) Interstate.[1]
| County | Location | mi[52][7][45][53] | km | Exit[52] | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara | San Jose | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1A |  I-280 north (Sinclair Freeway west) –Downtown San Jose | Southern terminus;Joe Colla Interchange; southern terminus of I-280; US 101 north exit 384, south exit 385B; Sinclair Freeway continues west as I-280 north |
| 1B | US 101 (Bayshore Freeway) –Los Angeles,San Francisco | |||||
| 0.39 | 0.63 | 1A | King Road | Signed as exit 1C southbound | ||
| 1.19 | 1.92 | 1B | Jackson Avenue | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
| 1.41 | 2.27 | 1C | Capitol Expressway (CR G21) | Signed as exit 1D southbound | ||
| 1.74 | 2.80 | 2A | Alum Rock Avenue | No ramp from Alum Rock Avenue east to I-680 south; formerSR 130 | ||
| 2.38 | 3.83 | 2B | McKee Road | |||
| 3.84 | 6.18 | 4 | Berryessa Road | |||
| 4.78– 5.07 | 7.69– 8.16 | 5 | Capitol Avenue / Hostetter Road | Signed as exits 5A (Hostetter Road) and 5B (Capitol Avenue) northbound | ||
| San Jose–Milpitas line | 6.17 | 9.93 | 6 | Montague Expressway (CR G4) / Landess Avenue | ||
| Milpitas | — | I-680 Sunol Express Lane south ends | South end of southbound Express Lane | |||
| 7.65 | 12.31 | 8 |   SR 237 west (Calaveras Boulevard) –Central Milpitas | Eastern terminus of SR 237; SR 237 east exits 11A-B | ||
| 8.50 | 13.68 | 9 | Jacklin Road | |||
| Santa Clara–Alameda county line | Milpitas–Fremont line | 9.94 | 16.00 | North end of Sinclair Freeway | ||
| 10.06 | 16.19 | 10 | Scott Creek Road –Warm Springs District | |||
| Alameda | Fremont | 12.32 | 19.83 | 12 |    SR 262 west (Mission Boulevard) toI-880 | Eastern terminus of SR 262; former SR 21 north |
| — | I-680 Sunol Express Lane north begins | South end of northbound Express Lane | ||||
| 13.95 | 22.45 | 14 | Auto Mall Parkway, Durham Road | |||
| 15.31 | 24.64 | 15 | Washington Boulevard –Irvington District | |||
| 16.33 | 26.28 | 16 |   SR 238 north (Mission Boulevard) | Southern terminus of SR 238; former SR 21 south | ||
| 17.54 | 28.23 | 18 | Vargas Road | Signed as exit 18A northbound | ||
| | Mission Pass | |||||
| | 18.37– 19.77 | 29.56– 31.82 | 20 | Andrade Road, Sheridan Road | Signed as exits 18B (Sheridan Road) and 20 (Andrade Road) northbound | |
| | — | I-680 Sunol Express Lanes | North end of Express Lanes in both directions | |||
| | 21.10 | 33.96 | 21A |  SR 84 west / Calaveras Road –Sunol,Dumbarton Bridge | South end of SR 84 overlap (northbound only); signed as exit 21 southbound; former SR 21 north | |
| | 21.38 | 34.41 | 21B |  SR 84 east –Livermore | North end of SR 84 overlap (northbound only); southbound exit is via a U-turn at exit 21 | |
| | 21.98 | 35.37 | 22 | Sunol (Koopman Road) | Southbound exit and northbound entrance; former SR 21 | |
| Pleasanton | 24.80 | 39.91 | 25 | Sunol Boulevard, Castlewood Drive –Pleasanton | ||
| 26.29 | 42.31 | 26 | Bernal Avenue –Pleasanton | |||
| 28.84 | 46.41 | 29 | Stoneridge Drive | |||
| Pleasanton–Dublin line | 29.60 | 47.64 | 30 |  I-580 / Dublin Boulevard –Dublin,Oakland,Stockton | Signed as exits 30A (east) and 30B (west) northbound; I-580 exit 44B; Dublin Boulevard (formerlyUS 50) is not signed northbound | |
| Contra Costa | San Ramon | — | I-680 Contra Costa Express Lanes | South end of Express Lanes in both directions | ||
| 31.43 | 50.58 | 31 | Alcosta Boulevard –Dublin | |||
| 34.30 | 55.20 | 34 | Bollinger Canyon Road | |||
| San Ramon–Danville line | 35.60 | 57.29 | 36 | Crow Canyon Road –San Ramon | ||
| Danville | 38.16 | 61.41 | 38 | Sycamore Valley Road | ||
| 38.95 | 62.68 | 39 | Diablo Road –Danville | |||
| 39.57– 40.14 | 63.68– 64.60 | 40 | El Cerro Boulevard, El Pintado Road | Signed as exits 40A (El Cerro Boulevard) and 40B (El Pintado Road) southbound | ||
| Alamo | 41.76 | 67.21 | 42 | Stone Valley Road | Signed as exits 42A (east) and 42B (west) | |
| 42.67 | 68.67 | 43 | Livorna Road | |||
| | — | I-680 Contra Costa Express Lane north ends | North end of northbound Express Lane | |||
| Walnut Creek | 44.01 | 70.83 | 44 | Rudgear Road | No southbound exit | |
| 44.58 | 71.74 | 45A | South Main Street –Walnut Creek | No northbound entrance; former SR 21 | ||
| 45.43 | 73.11 | 45B | Olympic Boulevard | |||
| 45.88 | 73.84 | 46A |  SR 24 west –Lafayette,Oakland | Signed as exit 46 southbound; eastern terminus of SR 24; SR 24 exits 15A-B | ||
| 46.36 | 74.61 | 46B | Ygnacio Valley Road | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
| 47.11 | 75.82 | 47 | North Main Street –Walnut Creek | Former SR 21 | ||
| 47.90 | 77.09 | 48 | Treat Boulevard, Geary Road | Southbound former Oak Park Boulevard exit | ||
| Pleasant Hill | 48.86 | 78.63 | 49A | Contra Costa Boulevard –Pleasant Hill | Northbound exit and southbound entrance; former SR 21 | |
| 49.17 | 79.13 | 49B | Monument Boulevard, Gregory Lane | Single-point urban interchange; signed as exit 49 southbound; formerSR 24 east | ||
| Concord–Pleasant Hill line | 50.21 | 80.81 | 50 |  SR 242 north –Concord,Pittsburg | Northbound exit and southbound entrance; southern terminus of SR 242; SR 242 south exit 1A | |
| 50.74 | 81.66 | 51 | Willow Pass Road, Taylor Boulevard | |||
| 51.56 | 82.98 | 52 | Concord Avenue, Burnett Avenue –Pacheco,Concord | |||
| | 52.89 | 85.12 | 53 |  SR 4 –Pittsburg,Antioch,Martinez,Hercules | SR 4 exits 12B-C | |
| | 54.13 | 87.11 | 54 | Pacheco Boulevard, Arthur Road | Former SR 21 | |
| Martinez | — | I-680 Contra Costa Express Lane south begins | North end of southbound Express Lane | |||
| 55.96 | 90.06 | 56 | Marina Vista Road, Waterfront Road –Martinez | Last free exit for northbound traffic | ||
| Carquinez Strait | 57.22 | 92.09 | Benicia–Martinez Bridge (northbound toll only) | |||
| Solano | Benicia | 58.27 | 93.78 | 58A |   I-780 west –Benicia,Vallejo | Signed as exit 58 southbound; former I-680 north; eastern terminus of I-780; I-780 exits 7A-B |
| 59.09 | 95.10 | 58B | Bayshore Road | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
| 59.55 | 95.84 | 60 | Industrial Park | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
| 60.91 | 98.03 | 61 | Lake Herman Road | Former SR 21 south | ||
| | 63.11 | 101.57 | 63 | Parish Road | ||
| | 65.41 | 105.27 | 65 | Marshview Road | ||
| Fairfield | 68.11 | 109.61 | 68 | Gold Hill Road | ||
| 69.99 | 112.64 | 70 | Green Valley Road –Cordelia | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
| 70.48 | 113.43 | 71A |  I-80 east /SR 12 east –Fairfield,Sacramento | Northern terminus; I-80 exit 40 | ||
| 71B | I-80 west /SR 12 west –Napa,San Francisco | |||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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