The California Dept. of Transportation and the California
Highway Patrol on April 21 broke ground on a project to replace an aging truck
weight scales station near the Port of Oakland.
The new facility, which will be maintained by Caltrans and operated by the CHP, is being built a half-mile east of the existing scales facility, which has been in service since 1958. The new location has been designed to accommodate multiple construction bays, additional truck parking and newly designed traffic lanes on the Interstate 80 freeway.
The new facility, which will be maintained by Caltrans and operated by the CHP, is being built a half-mile east of the existing scales facility, which has been in service since 1958. The new location has been designed to accommodate multiple construction bays, additional truck parking and newly designed traffic lanes on the Interstate 80 freeway.
With the completion of the new station, vehicles on I-80
exiting onto Highway 12 will be able to travel along a new, elevated ramp,
thereby passing over trucks merging onto I-80 from the scales.
“This project will make it easier for the CHP to inspect
trucks quickly and keep goods from the Port of Oakland moving efficiently,”
Acting Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty said.
Also, the new facility’s weigh-in-motion scales won’t
require trucks to come to a complete stop before they’re weighed, which should
make the entire process more efficient and less time-consuming, according to
Caltrans.
Nearly 10,000 truck trips are made daily between the Port of
Oakland and I-80, according to Caltrans spokesman Vince Jacala.
Half the funding for the $100 million project comes from
California’s State Highway Operation and Protection Program; the rest comes
from regional and local funds, Jacla said.
Construction
is expected to be complete by June 2013.
