"Through a unique spirit of cooperation, Caltrans and the Pleasanton city staff were able to finalize plans for the Hopyard Road interchange at Interstate 880,” said Gene Poch, Chief of Project Development "C" for Caltrans, District IV. "We are looking forward to working with the City to bring these improvements to local residents as quickly as possible." Caltrans expects to successfully complete the entire I-580/Hopyard Road project by the spring of 1987.

Improvements to the I-580/Hopyard interchange will be made in two stages. The first stage includes widening 1he I-580 exits to four turning lanes at Hopyard Road. Motorists can use two turning lanes to travel northbound onto Dougherty Road and the other two turning lanes to travel southbound onto Hopyard Road.

Signals installed at the end of the exit ramps will be added to the existing computerized traffic monitoring system and will regulate traffic flow onto Hopyard and Dougherty roads.

In addition to drainage improvements to the interchange area, retaining walls will be built at all on- and off-ramps. The firt stage is expected to be completed by the Spring of 1986.

The second stage of the project includes an additional three-lane overpass running parallel to the existing Hopyard overpass. This new overpass will be used for all north bound traffic into Dublin, while the existing overpass will be used exclusively for southbound traffic into Pleasanton. Construction of the new overpass is scheduled to start in early 1986 and will be completed approximately 12 months later.

Approval of the improvement plans was welcome news to Pleasanton Mayor Ken Mercer. "I'm particularly delighted that the City of Pleasanton was able to make this project happen by encouraging private funding from developers. I appreciate Caltrans recognizing the importance of this project by putting such a great team effort together,” said Mercer.

According to Jim Walker, Pleasanton City Manager, construction of both stages of the I-580/Hopyard projects is expected to cost about $6 million.

Roger Gage, General Manager of Real Estate Operations in Pleasanton for Prudential said, "We made a decision to advance the funds to the NPID for the interchange improvements in order to expedite construction and to lessen the inconvenience to area residents and businesses. We will continue to meet our commitment to roadway and traffic improvements in P1easanton.”

To see a reproduction of the original article and edition of Pleasanton Pathways, visit: June 24, 1985