The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), in cooperation with the San Joaquin Council of Governments (SJCOG), will prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR)/Environmental Assessment (EA) for the I-205 Managed Lanes Project. This project proposes to install managed lanes on I-205 between I-5 and I-580 and could include interchange improvements and transit hubs. Four alternatives and the no-build alternative are being considered.
Caltrans and SCJOG are seeking input on the scope and content of the environmental document in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act. The meeting will include a presentation and information about the project, and there will be an opportunity to speak to the project team. If you have any questions about the project or meeting, please contact Scott Guidi, Caltrans Branch Chief, at (209) 479-1839 or by email to scott.guidi@dot.ca.gov.
You can send comments by email to scott.guidi@dot.ca.gov, or by mail to Scott Guidi, Caltrans, District 10, 1976 East Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Stockton, CA 95205.
The San Joaquin Council of Governments (SJCOG) and the California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS), District 4 and District 10 are developing the I-205 Managed Lanes project to address increased commute times and corridor congestion on I-205 from I-5, through the City of Tracy, and through to the Alameda/San Joaquin County border.
Managed lanes have been successfully used to reduce congestion by controlling the way traffic moves on the highway. Special lanes allocated just for cars with two or more people (HOV), buses, trucks or electric vehicles are one way lane management helps keep traffic flowing. Another example of lane management is to charge a Single Occupant Vehicle (SOV) user fee or toll to help pay for maintenance, transit and construction. Managed lanes take vehicles out of general congestion resulting in overall travel times decreasing and overall travel speeds increasing.
The project will also address increased use of the corridor as an intercity and interstate truck and freight route and increased need for alternative modes of transportation between San Joaquin County and the San Francisco Bay Area such as buses, vanpools, and rideshares. Also under consideration are options reserving the center median for various types of transit (bus and/or rail), as well as potential locations for stations and connections to bicycle/pedestrian facilities, park and ride lots, and other transit systems.
Projects such as this have several parts (or phases) and can take multiple years to complete. The current phase of the project will develop the project design alternatives and complete the required environmental document. The current effort is known as the Project Approval and Environmental Document (PA & ED) phase. It will evaluate alternative designs to best integrate other on-going projects, incorporate new technologies, coordinate transit options, and explore station/transportation hub locations.
The ultimate outcome will be to produce a project that will meet the multiple goals of innovation, satisfying community and stakeholder needs, facilitating goods movement, and best meeting anticipated future funding criteria, while advancing the Governor’s executive orders . Public and stakeholder engagement will help shape the ultimate design of the corridor.
The overarching goal for SJCOG is to improve local, regional, and interregional circulation for all modes of travel between the Central Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. The proposed project, within that framework, has the following primary purposes:
The project is needed to address the following concerns: