I-80 Bayshore Freeway Closing Weekend

A 1.6-mile stretch of eastbound Interstate 80 in San Francisco is shut through 6 a.m. Monday, April 20, cutting off a key route to the Bay Bridge. (dot.ca.gov) The closure runs from 17th Street to 4th Street and began at 11 p.m. Friday, April 17. It also closes the southbound and northbound U.S. 101 connector ramps to eastbound I-80. (dot.ca.gov) Caltrans said drivers coming from U.S. 101 should use southbound Seventh Street to eastbound Harrison Street to northbound Essex Street to reenter eastbound I-80. Traffic headed to the Bay Bridge from city streets is being funneled toward the Essex and Fifth Street onramps. (dot.ca.gov) The work is part of a two-year rehabilitation of the Bayshore and Central Freeway viaducts, the elevated structures that carry traffic through South of Market. Caltrans said crews are repairing bridge decks, replacing joints and upgrading drainage and safety features. (dot.ca.gov; abc7news.com) Officials warned before the shutdown that congestion could spill across SoMa, the Bay Bridge approaches and nearby ramps because this segment is one of the last links before bridge traffic leaves San Francisco. NBC Bay Area reported detour maps were posted in advance for drivers trying to reach downtown, the bridge and Interstate 280. (nbcbayarea.com; kqed.org) By Saturday, the closure was already slowing business near the freeway. CBS News Bay Area reported that some restaurants and shops saw fewer customers as traffic backups stretched through the area. (cbsnews.com) This is not the first disruption tied to the project. Caltrans reopened the 4th Street off-ramp early on February 21 after a separate weekend closure for a deck replacement and bridge-joint installation. (dot.ca.gov) The eastbound lanes are scheduled to reopen Monday morning, but the larger viaduct project continues into 2026 with more overnight lane closures on the Central and Bayshore freeway approaches. (dot.ca.gov)