S.F. Bay Area’s MacArthur Maze Headed for Major Upgrade

Phil Matier reports that Caltrans has plans for a major rebuild of parts of the MacArthur Maze in the San Francisco Bay Area’s East Bay. The upgrades are necessary, say Caltrans officials, because some of the interchange’s connectors do not meet current height requirements.

The problems have gotten worse over the years as trucks have become bigger and taller and are unable to use the Maze. "That means they have to go around it, adding to the truckers’ costs and making them burn more fuel, which in turn impacts the environment," says Matier.

The project will start in April 2022 and will take 10 to 36 months. Caltrans is planning a series of lane closures, some of which will divert traffic to surface streets in the area. As a result, travel delays will likely increase during the upgrade, particularly since congestion is already a regular occurrence on the interchange.