An on-ramp closure near the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge that was originally scheduled to end in early July has been extended for seven months, Caltrans officials announced Wednesday.
Closure of the Stenmark Drive on-ramp to westbound Interstate Highway 580 has been extended to Feb. 1, 2027 as part of the ongoing Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Open Road Tolling Project.
The $18 million project is funded by the Bay Area Toll Authority and includes removal of toll booths on the bridge that haven’t been used since 2020, the installation of overhead structures and equipment, and roadway re-striping that will result in drivers no longer having to merge in and out of lanes at the toll plaza.
Open road tolling uses technology to read FasTrak toll tags without the need to slow down and go through toll booths. Overhead equipment can read the toll tags as vehicles travel at highway speeds.
The project started in April and in May, Caltrans said the Stenmark Drive on-ramp closure would run from June 8 to July 10 while work to complete the project was expected to continue until December.
After some delays, however, work is now expected to wrap up in February 2027 and Caltrans decided to extend the on-ramp closure until then in order to enhance safety and the project’s workflow, said Caltrans spokesperson DeNise Harding.
The closure will allow crews to safely realign the westbound Stenmark Drive on-ramp to improve merging and traffic safety by installing a dedicated toll gantry.
The project may involve crews working near traffic lanes, moving heavy materials or operating machinery, and drivers are being asked to stay alert and observe the reduced speed limit in the area.
People who use that on-ramp are being detoured to eastbound I-580, then to the Canal Boulevard off-ramp in order to circle back onto westbound I-580 at the Canal Boulevard on-ramp and then back toward the bridge.
Also, because of an ongoing fiber optic project, the Canal Boulevard on- and off-ramps may be closed overnight from time to time, so drivers should use Cutting Boulevard as an alternate way to get back to the bridge, according to Caltrans.
The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Open Road Tolling project is the first of its kind for the seven Bay Area bridges managed by Caltrans. The other bridges, including the Bay, Antioch, Benicia-Martinez, Carquinez, Dumbarton, and San Mateo-Hayward bridges are all scheduled for similar projects starting over the next three years, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
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