Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Open Road Tolling and I-580 Westbound High Occupancy Vehicle Lane Project
2 Documents in Project
Summary
SCH Number
2024020819
Public Agency
Bay Area Toll Authority
(BATA)
Document Title
Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Open Road Tolling and I-580 Westbound High Occupancy Vehicle Lane Project
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
6/3/2025
Document Description
The Richmond-San Rafael (RSR) Bridge Open Road Tolling (ORT) and I-580 Westbound High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lane Project (project) would provide safety and operational improvements on westbound I-580 approaching the RSR Bridge by reinstating a previous westbound I-580 HOV lane through Richmond to encourage carpooling and transit ridership, and replacing the existing toll booths with new ORT gantries for toll collection, in order to address congestion and improve travel time reliability for motorists and transit users along the RSR Bridge Corridor.
The purpose of the project is to:
? Promote mode shift by providing travel time savings for carpooling and transit riders;
? Reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and corresponding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions;
? Improve safety by eliminating the need to pass through the existing toll plaza; and
? Improve operational efficiency by upgrading the existing toll infrastructure to accommodate the future
BATA system-wide upgrade on the toll collection system.
Given the extensive level of congestion in this corridor, there is a need to improve travel time, alleviate congestion and backup, and reduce corresponding air quality and safety concerns. Traditional approaches to alleviate such problems, such as freeway widening to add travel lanes, are not feasible or prudent in this corridor due to limited available ROW. Any freeway widening will have the potential to impact nearby communities and environmentally sensitive areas—such as the wetland areas west of I-580 between Bayview Avenue and Central Avenue—by inducing greater demand and expanding the footprint into undeveloped areas. Therefore, solutions must focus on maximizing the efficiency of existing infrastructure within the corridor. Figure 1 shows the location of the proposed project, which extends along I-580 from PM 0.2 to PM 6.3 within State right of way (ROW). Within the project limits, I-580 is inland from San Francisco Bay and generally parallels the Bay shoreline. This section of I-580 is designated as a scenic drive by the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC 2020). Land uses along the project corridor include industrial uses, such oil refineries and associated tank farms and wharf facilities, as well as residential neighborhoods that are generally buffered from the freeway by existing sound walls. Docusign Envelope ID: 99119B02-E0B5-43F1-91C0-794B430B6AE3 The project comprises the following four improvements: (1) conversion of the innermost GP lane on westbound I-580 to an HOV 2+ lane from just west of Regatta Boulevard in Richmond to the RSR Bridge toll plaza; (2) demolition of the existing toll booths and construction of toll gantries east of the toll plaza; (3) realignment of the Stenmark Drive westbound on-ramp slightly to the east, to join the I-580 mainline as a third GP lane; and (4) construction of a separate toll gantry for the westbound Stenmark Drive on-ramp. (Please refer to Figure 2 which depicts the proposed improvements at Stenmark Drive).
Contact Information
Name
Ingrid Supit
Agency Name
Bay Area Toll Authority
Job Title
Principal Engineer
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Location
Cities
Richmond
Counties
Contra Costa
Regions
San Francisco Bay Area
State Highways
Interstate I-580
Other Location Info
The project is located along I-580 from PM 0.2 to PM 6.3 (please refer to Figure 1 in the NOE).
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 1(c) and Class 2(c) (14 CCR 15301 and 15302)
Reasons for Exemption
The project comprises the following four improvements: (1) conversion of the innermost general purpose (GP) lane on westbound I-580 to an high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) 2+ lane from just west of Regatta Boulevard in Richmond to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge toll plaza; (2) demolition of the existing toll booths and construction of toll gantries east of the toll plaza; (3) realignment of the Stenmark Drive westbound on-ramp slightly to the east, to join the I-580 mainline as a third GP lane; and (4) construction of a separate toll gantry for the westbound Stenmark Drive on-ramp.
14 CCR 15301(c) exempts existing highways and streets, sidewalks, gutters, bicycle and pedestrian trails, and similar facilities (this includes road grading for the purpose of public safety, and other alterations such as the addition of bicycle facilities, including but not limited to bicycle parking, bicycle-share facilities and bicycle lanes, transit improvements such as bus lanes, pedestrian crossings, street trees, and other similar alterations that do not create additional automobile lanes).The project is consistent with the description in the exemption because the project would include conversion of a GP lane to a HOV lane, nor would it create additional automobile lanes and involves no expansion of existing use.
14 CCR 15302(c) exempts the replacement or reconstruction of existing utility systems and/or facilities involving negligible or no expansion of capacity. The project would include replacing the existing toll booths with new toll gantries on westbound I-580 and for Stenmark Drive on-ramp, which will serve the same purpose and capacity as the toll booths. Therefore, the project is consistent with the description in the exemption.
County Clerk
Contra Costa
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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