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

An upcoming project will raise the clearance height of connectors, but construction is expected to bring even more delays to the heavily used network.

1 minute read

March 8, 2019, 9:00 AM PST

By Camille Fink


MacArthur Maze Bay Area

Basil D Soufi / Wikimedia Commons

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.

Sunday, March 3, 2019 in San Francisco Chronicle

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

Overlapping highways

The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin

People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.

September 8, 2026 - Benjamin Schneider

The Hoover Dam blocking the Colorado River. The river's water level is noticeably low. The cliffs surrounding the blue water are brown and jagged.

US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico

A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.

September 11, 2026 - The Arizona Republic

Skyscrapers in Jersey City.

New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers

Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.

September 4, 2026 - The Cool Down

A New Jersey train approaches people waiting at the station.

Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds

A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.

September 15 - Mass Transit

A tall, gray power plant billows smoke into a blue sky.

EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants

Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.

September 15 - New York Times

A white RAPID bus. The lower half is light blue, and says RAPID in purple text. The bus is half visible, appearing from the left side of the image.

Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses

Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.

September 15 - KJZZ

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.