View source for Interstate 980

{{short description|Interstate highway in California}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox road
|state=CA
|route=980
|type=I
|section=624
|map={{maplink-road|from=Interstate 980.map}}
|map_custom=yes
|map_notes=I-980 highlighted in red
|length_mi=2.03
|length_ref=<ref name="FHWA">{{cite web |date=December 31, 2021 |title=Table 2: Auxiliary Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways |url=https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/interstate_highway_system/routefinder/table02.cfm |access-date=July 13, 2022 |work=FHWA Route Log and Finder List |publisher=[[Federal Highway Administration]]}}</ref>
|established=1976 ([[Federal Highway Administration|FHWA]]); 1981 (state)
|counties=[[Alameda County, California|Alameda]]
|direction_a=West
|terminus_a={{Jct|state=CA|I|880}} in [[Oakland, California|Oakland]]
|direction_b=East
|terminus_b={{Jct|state=CA|I|580|SR|24}} in Oakland
|previous_type=SR
|previous_route=905
|next_type=SR
|next_route=1
}}

'''Interstate&nbsp;980''' ('''I-980''') is a short {{Convert|2.03|mi|km|adj=on}} [[auxiliary Interstate Highway]] entirely within [[Oakland, California|Oakland]] in [[Northern California]], connecting [[Interstate 580 (California)|I-580]] and [[California State Route 24|State Route&nbsp;24]] (SR&nbsp;24) to [[Interstate 880 (California)|I-880]] near [[Downtown Oakland]]. I-980 passes the [[Oakland Convention Center]] and near the famous [[Jack London Square]]. I-980 is commonly considered the dividing line between Downtown Oakland and [[West Oakland, Oakland, California|West Oakland]]. The freeway was planned as the eastern approach to the [[Southern Crossing (California)|Southern Crossing]]. The segment between I-880 and 17th Street is officially known as the '''John B. Williams Freeway''', after the former director of the city of Oakland's Office of Community Development.<ref>{{CA Named Freeways | pages=99, 365}}</ref> In addition, I-980 and SR 24 in Oakland are both designated as part of the ''[[Grove-Shafter Freeway]]'', after streets the route travels along (Grove Street was later renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Way).<ref>{{CA Named Freeways | pages=99, 272}}</ref>

I-980 was used as an alternate route between Oakland and [[San Francisco]] when the [[Cypress Street Viaduct|Cypress Viaduct]] carrying I-880 collapsed in the [[1989 Loma Prieta earthquake]]. Traffic headed from the south would have to use I-980 to I-580 west to [[Interstate 80 in California|I-80]] west to get across the [[San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge]] to reach San Francisco. This ended when I-880 reopened on a new alignment in 1997 (1998 to and from I-80 east).

==Route description==
The entirety of I-980 is defined in section 624 of the [[California Codes|California Streets and Highways Code]] as '''Route 980''', and that the highway is from "[[Interstate 880 (California)|Route 880]] to [[Interstate 580 (California)|Route 580]] in [[Oakland, California|Oakland]]".<ref name="CSHC624">{{Cite web|url=https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=SHC&sectionNum=624.|title=Section 624|work=California Streets and Highways Code|publisher=California Office of Legislative Counsel|location=Sacramento|access-date=August 25, 2025}}</ref> This definition roughly corresponds with the [[Federal Highway Administration]] (FHWA)'s route logs of I-980.<ref name=fhwa-nhs /><ref name="FHWA"/>

Although I-980 physically goes north and south, it is signed as an east&ndash;west route like SR&nbsp;24. Immediately after traffic leaves I-880 on elevated connector ramps, I-980 then descends below grade to pass under downtown city streets. The freeway then ascends above grade to pass over [[California State Route 123|SR&nbsp;123]] (San Pablo Avenue) and 27th Street before reaching I-580 and SR&nbsp;24.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

The freeway itself lacks overhead guide signs mentioning I-980. Immediately after exit&nbsp;1B (SR&nbsp;123/17th Street) going eastbound on I-980 is a guide sign mentioning the junction with I-580. Likewise, the guide signs on westbound I-980 at exit&nbsp;1D (18th Street) list I-880 and [[San Jose, California|San Jose]] as a [[control city]]. Since 2018, Jackson Street and I-880 south have been signed as exits&nbsp;1B and 1A in the westbound direction.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

I-980 is part of the [[California Freeway and Expressway System]]<ref name="cafes">{{CAFESystem}}</ref> and is part of the [[National Highway System (United States)|National Highway System]],<ref name=fhwa-nhs>{{FHWA NHS map|region=sanfrancisco|access-date=July 22, 2017}}</ref> a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the [[Federal Highway Administration]] (FHWA).<ref name=NHS-FHWA>{{FHWA NHS}}</ref>

==History==
The route known as I-980 was originally added to the state highway system in 1947 as part of [[Legislative Route 226 (California pre-1964)|Legislative Route 226]] (LRN&nbsp;226)<ref>{{cite CAstat|year=1947|ex=1|ch=11|p=3798}}: "Route 226 is from a point in the vicinity of the intersection of Webster Street and Santa Clara Avenue in Alameda to a point on Route 5 [I-580] in Oakland."</ref> and to the [[California Freeway and Expressway System]] in 1959.<ref>{{cite CAstat|year=1959|ch=1062|p=3114}}: "Route 226 [SR 61, SR 260, and I-980] from Route 258 [SR 13] near San Leandro to Route 5 [I-580]."</ref> This segment of LRN&nbsp;226 became part of [[State Route 24 (California)|SR&nbsp;24]] in the [[1964 state highway renumbering (California)|1964 state highway renumbering]].<ref>{{cite CAstat|year=1963|ch=385|p=1173}}: "Route 24 is from: (a) [[SR 17 (CA)|Route 17]] near Castro Street in Oakland to [[I-580 (CA)|Route 580]]..."</ref>

Construction on a Highway 24 freeway connecting Downtown Oakland with the [[Caldecott Tunnel]] in the Oakland Hills began in the 1960s. It was also originally intended to serve the [[Southern Crossing (California)|Southern Crossing]] and a regional shopping mall in Oakland, neither of which were ever built. While the freeway was completed from the tunnel to I-580 and 27th Street, construction of the segment extending it further west to the [[Nimitz Freeway]] (present-day I-880) resulted in community opposition due to about 503 homes in the freeway's path (and thus slated to be demolished or moved). In 1972, a federal lawsuit halted its construction until [[Caltrans]] agreed to build replacement housing. With city officials still pushing for the freeway's completion, a compromise was also reached to change the design from an elevated freeway to a depressed freeway, decreasing noise.<ref name="could"/>

To help complete the freeway with federal funding, the [[Federal Highway Administration|FHWA]] approved the addition of the segment to the [[Interstate Highway System]] in January 1976, with the Interstate money only used west of [[California State Route 123|SR&nbsp;123 (San Pablo Avenue)]].;<ref>[[California Department of Transportation]], [http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/tsip/hseb/products/state_highway_routes_selected_information_1995_revised.pdf State Highway Routes: Selected Information] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070316231706/http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/tsip/HSEB/products/state_highway_routes_selected_information_1995_revised.pdf |date=March 16, 2007 }}, 1994 with 1995 revisions</ref> thus, I-980 is designated as part "chargeable" Interstate and part "non-chargable", {{USCSub|23|103|c|4|A}} Interstate.<ref name="FHWA"/> The segment's number was legislatively changed from Route 24 to I-980 in 1981,<ref>{{cite CAstat|year=1981|ch=292|p=1419}}: "Route 980 is from Route 17 in Oakland to Route 580."</ref> and it finally opened in 1985.<ref name="could"/>

==Future==
The ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' reported in November 2015 about a grassroots organization of local architects and planners, supported by Oakland mayor [[Libby Schaaf]], that propose to replace I-980 with a landscaped city boulevard.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Oakland-moving-in-right-direction-with-idea-to-6633056.php | title=Oakland moving in right direction with idea to replace I-980 | newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle | first=John | last=King | date=November 14, 2015 | access-date=November 16, 2015}}</ref> ConnectOakland is coordinating the push for a replacement. In January 2017, I-980 was included in [[United States Congress|Congress]] for the New Urbanism "Freeways without Futures" report.<ref name="mercurynews2017">{{Cite web|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/01/30/report-oaklands-i-980-on-national-top-ten-list-for-teardown/|title=Report: Oakland's I-980 on national 'top ten' list for teardown|date=January 30, 2017 |access-date=2017-02-04}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnu.org/highways-boulevards/freeways-without-futures/2017#980|title=Freeways Without Futures 2017|date=2017-01-26|newspaper=CNU|language=en|access-date=2017-02-04}}</ref>

[[Caltrans]] and the city of Oakland received a $680,000 Reconnecting Communities planning grant, funded by the 2021 [[Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act]], to study rebuilding or removing I-980.<ref>{{cite news |title=Oakland, Caltrans receives funds to study removing Interstate 980 in downtown |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/interstate-980-oakland-caltrans-receives-federal-funds-study-freeway-removal/ |date=24 February 2023 |agency=Bay City News Service}}</ref> BART may use the corridor as an approach for a second [[Transbay Tube]].<ref name="could">{{cite news |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/11/a-freeway-separates-west-oakland-from-downtown-bidens-infrastructure-bill-could-help-get-rid-of-it/ |date=11 May 2021 |title=A freeway separates West Oakland from downtown. Biden's infrastructure bill could help get rid of it. |newspaper=San Jose Mercury News |author=Nicp Savidge }}</ref>

Arguments for replacement focus on the freeway's low volume of traffic and negative impact on surrounding neighborhoods. Concerns are however raised on whether the existing surface streets can handle the relocated traffic, and whether it may actually increase [[gentrification]] in the area.<ref name="mercurynews2017"/><ref name="could"/>

==Exit list==
{{CAinttop|exit
|length_ref=<ref name=calnexus/>
|exit_ref=<ref name=calnexus>{{cite web |date= March 16, 2020 |publisher= [[California Department of Transportation]] |work= [[California Numbered Exit Uniform System]] |url= https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/safety-programs/documents/exit/calnexus-i-980-03-2020-a11y.pdf |title= Interstate 980 Freeway Interchanges |access-date= October 17, 2020}}</ref>
|location=Oakland
|county=Alameda
}}
{{CAint|exit
|mile=0.01
|mspan=4
|exit= 1A
|road={{Jct|state=CA|I|880|dir1=south|name1=[[Nimitz Freeway]]|city1=San Jose}}
|notes=No access to I-880 north; west end of I-980; I-880 north exit 42A; former [[California State Route 17|SRSR&nbsp;17]]
|type=incomplete
}}
{{CAint|exit
|mile=none
|exit=1B
|road=Jackson Street
|notes=Westbound exit only
|type=incomplete
}}
{{CAint|exit
|mile=none
|exit=1A
|road=11th Street&nbsp;/ 14th Street
|notes=Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only
|type=incomplete
}}
{{CAint|exit
|mile=none
|exit=1B
|road=17th Street, [[San Pablo Avenue]] (to [[California State Route 123|SR&nbsp;123]]<!--SR 123 designation actually ends north of here at I-580-->)
|notes=Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only
|type=incomplete
}}
{{CAint|exit
|mile=0.54
|exit=1C
|road=12th Street&nbsp;/ 11th Street
|notes=Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
|type=incomplete
}}
{{CAint|exit
|mile=0.90
|exit=1D
|road=18th Street&nbsp;/ 14th Street
|notes=Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
|type=incomplete
}}
{{CAint|exit
|mile=0.90
|exit=2A
|road=27th Street&nbsp;/ West Grand Avenue
|notes=Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
|type=incomplete
}}
{{CAint|exit
|mile=2.03
|mspan=2
|exit=2A
|road={{Jct|state=CA|I|580|name1=[[MacArthur Freeway]]|city1=San Francisco|city2=Hayward}}
|notes=East end of I-980; I-580 east exit 19C, west exit 19D; freeway continues east on SR&nbsp;24
|nspan=2
}}
{{CAint|exit
|mile=none
|exit=2B
|road={{Jct|state=CA|SR|24|dir1=east|name1=[[Grove-Shafter Freeway]]|city1=Berkeley|city2=Walnut Creek}}
|notes=none
}}
{{jctbtm|col=5|keys=incomplete}}

==See also==
*{{portal-inline|California Roads}}
*{{Portal-inline|San Francisco Bay Area}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Attached KML|display=inline,title}}
{{commons category}}
{{CASR external links|I|980}}
*[https://www.aaroads.com/california/i-980_ca.html California @ AARoads.com - Interstate 980]
*[https://www.cahighways.org/780-980.html#980 California Highways: I-980]
*[https://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/4313767001/in/set-72157622139053795/ Interstate 980 connection from 1966 Southern Crossing plan]
*[http://www.connectoakland.org/ ConnectOakland] - advocacy organization supporting the replacement of I-980

{{I-80 aux}}
{{Oakland, California}}

[[Category:Interstate 80|9]]
[[Category:Interstate Highways in California|80-9]]
[[Category:San Francisco Bay Area freeways|980]]
[[Category:Auxiliary Interstate Highways|80-9]]
[[Category:Roads in Alameda County, California|Interstate 80-9]]