LIVERMORE (KPIX 5) — A new FastTrak transponder is on the way to help drivers who travel along the busy I-580 in Tri-Valley corridor beat the traffic.

It’s called FasTrak Flex.

FastTrak Flex transponder (CBS)

Solo commuters who upgrade to FasTrak Flex will be able to pay a toll and drive in the Express Lanes coming to I-580, between Pleasanton and Livermore.

When traffic is heavy, the toll to ride the Express Lanes increases.

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission said the idea is to improve the way we use carpool lanes. Drivers in Southern California have been using Flex for over a decade.

“We have been a little slow here in the Bay Area to convert carpool lanes to Express Lanes and there are a lot of reasons. We are geographically constrained,” said Goodwin.

He says Flex tags won’t disadvantage carpoolers. It just takes advantage of the unused capacity. Whenever the lanes become crowded with carpoolers, solo drivers won’t be able to use them.

Fastrak Flex transponders cost $25, and are already on sale in stores like Safeway and Costco. The old transponders will remain operational during the lengthy transitional period.

According to the MTC, FastTrak Flex will be operational later this year, once the new Express Lanes on I-580 are open in both directions.

SAN RAFAEL (KPIX 5) – Assemblymember Marc Levine is demanding Caltrans reopen a third lane to relieve congestion on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.

“It’s something that Caltrans could do today,” Levine (D-San Rafael) told KPIX 5.

Levine refers to reopening a long unused bridge lane to give commuters relief from what has become one of the biggest traffic headaches in the Bay Area.

“That bridge was originally built over 60 years ago for three lanes and we need to reopen that third lane,” Levine said.

In fact, the lane was in use until the 1970s and reopened again after the Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989, an emergency measure when the Bay Bridge was closed.

Now, every day seems to be an emergency.

“We’ve seen an over 15 percent increase in traffic on the bridge in just the last couple of years,” said Randy Rentschler of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

Caltrans, the state agency that oversees the bridge, has not been keen on reopening the third lane. At first, they said the space is needed for safety stops and maintenance, something Levine says is nonsense.

“Right now the third lane is used essentially as a storage closet,” Levine said. “There is equipment in that third lane, there is a hardened barrier, and commuters are stuck in the other two lanes watching that equipment collect dust.”

The state legislature agreed, and passed a bill not only greenlighting the lane but also cutting through the usual red tape. But Caltrans says they still need two years to get the job done.

“We still have environmental rules we have to follow. We still have other protocols we have to follow,” Rentschler said.

Levine reacted with a second bill that would order Caltrans to reopen the lane by the end of the month, and then go for the long-term fix.

“It’s something that Caltrans could do today. They just need to make sure that the lines are stripped correctly, that signs are put up to make sure that drivers are commuting in a safe speed,” Levine said.

Rentschler responded, “This is more than a paint job. There is a large retaining wall that exists right now. A lot of dirt has to be removed to move that retaining wall into the hillside a little bit more.”

Levine said, “This is something they should jump at the opportunity to find a solution for.”

When asked if it’s rules or the work keeping the project from happening, Rentschler said, “Its always a little bit of both.”

OAKLAND (CBS SF) — A 33-year-old Caltrans worker was killed early Saturday and one person was arrested in an apparent DUI crash on Interstate 580 near Lake Merritt, the California Highway Patrol said.

The Alameda County Coroner’s Office identified the deceased worker as Miguel Rodriguez Delacruz, of Oakland.

The crash happened at about 12:17 a.m. on west I-580 before the Lakeshore Avenue exit, Officer Eric Anderson said. The driver of a silver Honda Accord suspected of DUI was arrested after the crash, Anderson said.

The car was traveling westbound on I-580 and reportedly hit a wall and spun into a work zone.

The name of the driver was not immediately released. Delacruz was a contractor working for Caltrans, which has been repairing portions of the freeway in recent months.

TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

OAKLAND (CBS SF) – One person died early Friday morning on Interstate 580 in Oakland, after a vehicle they were in went off the roadway and into an embankment.

Shortly before 12:30 a.m., dispatchers received multiple calls reporting a crash on westbound Highway 580 at 98^th Avenue, according to California Highway Patrol officials.

When officers arrived at the scene, they located a 1997 Toyota Corolla in an embankment, which separates the highway’s westbound lanes and the Golf Links Road on-ramp to the highway, according to CHP officials.

Officers found two people trapped in the front driver and passenger seats of the involved vehicle.

Officers then found two more people, who had been ejected from the vehicle, lying in the roadway and left shoulder of the Golf Links Road on-ramp to the highway, CHP officials said.

Officers determined the driver had been driving in the highway’s westbound lanes, just east of 98^th Avenue and Golf Links Road, at speeds between 75 and 85 mph, according to CHP officials.

For an unknown reason, the driver lost control of the vehicle, which went off the roadway, struck a concrete curb and traveled into a dirt area, CHP officials said.

The vehicle then went airborne and struck two trees, causing two passengers to be ejected. The vehicle came to a stop on its wheels, facing southeast, inside the dirt embankment, according to CHP officials.

Firefighters had to extricate the driver, a 21 year-old Oakland man. He was taken to a hospital for major injuries, CHP officials said.

The front passenger was pronounced dead at the scene. The identity of the victim has not yet been released, pending notification of next of kin, according to the CHP.

The two rear passengers, who were ejected from the vehicle, were taken to a hospital. One was a 29-year-old Oakland woman who suffered major injuries and the other was a 23-year-old Oakland man with moderate injuries, CHP officials said.

The scene was cleared shortly before 4 a.m., CHP officials said.

Officers determined the driver was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the crash, according to CHP officials.

Anyone with information on the crash is asked to call the CHP Oakland area office at (510) 450-3821 or non-emergency number at (800) 835-5247.

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FREMONT (CBS SF) — Two parents died in a single-vehicle collision on Interstate Highway 580 Sunday morning east of Altamont in unincorporated Alameda County, according to firefighters.

The incident was reported on eastbound Highway 580 west of W. Grant Line Road at 10:38 a.m.

The vehicle may have hydroplaned on pooling water before it rolled over multiple times and came to rest down an embankment, according to Battalion Chief Stephanie Radecke with the Alameda County Fire Department.

Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene. Two children, ages 5 and 6, were transported to UC Davis Medical Center. One of them suffered head wounds, but Radecke said a brain scan showed the injuries were not serious.

The medical examiner’s office released the names of the victims.  40-year-old Levee Bun, and 35-year-old Phy “Sophia” Phom were both killed.

Family members tell KPIX5 that the Bun family immigrated to the United States from Cambodia in 1983 and are well known in Oakland.

Bun’s family set up a GoFundMe page to help cover funeral expenses.

40-year-old Lev Bun, and 35-year-old Phy Phom were both killed in a crash near the Altamont Pass. (Source: Facebook)

“It’s just absolutely traumatic and really our hearts go out to the famly,” Radecke said.

“Levee was always there when anyone needed him,” said Samantha Bun, Levee’s sister. “He would give the shirt off his back and treated everyone with respect.  His smile would brighten the room.”

Bun’s father died when he was 15 years old.

“He stepped up to the plate and helped raised us,” Samantha said.

The 5-year old boy who was injured was Levee’s son and the 6-year old was Sophia’s daughter.  They are surrounded by a heartbroken family.

“We thank everyone for their outpouring of support,”  Samantha Bun said.

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LIVERMORE (CBS SF) – A man died Tuesday morning when his truck rear-ended another truck on Interstate Highway 580, causing both vehicles to go down an embankment east of Livermore.

At 5:32 a.m., California Highway Patrol officers responded to a report of a collision on eastbound Highway 580 west of the Grant Line Road undercrossing in unincorporated Alameda County, according to the CHP.

A 43-year-old man was driving a 2000 GMC Sierra pickup truck on the highway at about 65 mph when a 2006 GMC Sierra pickup truck traveling at a high rate of speed struck it from behind, CHP officials said.

The impact caused both vehicles to veer across all four lanes and go down an embankment along the highway.

The driver of the 2006 GMC Sierra, identified as a 35-year-old Modesto man, was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle as it overturned. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to CHP Officer Derek Reed.

The 43-year-old in the 2000 GMC Sierra walked away from the collision uninjured. CHP officers concluded he was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Officers, however, do not yet know if the deceased driver of the 2006 GMC Sierra was driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Anyone with information about the collision is asked to contact Reed at (925) 828-0466.

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PITTSBURG (CBS SF) — A man has been arrested in connection with a recent freeway shooting on Highway 4 in Pittsburg last week, according to authorities.

The California Highway Patrol announced Wednesday that they have arrested McCoy Tiasawan.

CHP allege he opened fire on a car on Highway 4 in Pittsburg last Friday. A man, woman and child were inside that car. Nobody was hurt.

Tiasawan has been charged with attempted homicide. Authorities believe this was a gang-related, targeted attack.

KPIX has been reporting for months about a rash of shootings on East Bay freeways.

This is the first and so far only arrest for any of the East Bay freeway shootings.

There have been 16 freeway shootings since last November on Highway 4, Interstates 80 and 580.

CHP and police believe most of the shootings are gang-related.

While authorities can’t confirm if the shootings are all connected, police have previously noted that some of the shootings that took place could be interrelated.

CHP Lt. Jason Reardon said, “These things are not random. We know they’re targeted, but we are out there with our allied members to let gang members know this will not be tolerated.”

The CHP says most of the gangs involved come from the Richmond area and that the violence spills over to the highways. So to stop it, a task force starts at the source.

The CHP has joined forces with 15 other federal, state and local agencies to make that happen. So far there have been three of these strategic operations with marked patrols, undercover officers, canines and a helicopter.

In the last 90 days they’ve taken 29 illegal guns off the streets and made 69 felony gang-related arrests.

OAKLAND (CBS SF) — A 61-year-old man died Friday night in Oakland after a traffic accident on an off-ramp from Interstate Highway 580.

At 11:55 p.m., California Highway Patrol officers responded to a report of a collision on the Harrison Street off-ramp from westbound Highway 580, according to CHP officials.

Upon arrival, officers observed a 1995 Mercedes with major damage. The driver had been ejected from the vehicle, CHP officials said.

After medical personnel attempted to perform lifesaving measures, the driver, an Oakland resident, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the CHP.

CHP officials are continuing to investigate the incident, but do not believe any other vehicles were involved. Additionally, they’re also working to determine whether drugs or alcohol may have played a part in the fatal incident.

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PLEASANTON (CBS SF) – A fatal crash Wednesday morning on westbound Interstate Highway 580 near Interstate Highway 680 in Pleasanton blocked several lanes for hours, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The crash was reported at 5:55 a.m. just west of Hopyard Road, CHP officials said.

• Latest KCBS Traffic Conditions

There were reportedly six vehicles involved in the crash, including a big-rig, and at least three vehicles caught fire, according to the CHP. At least one person was killed in the crash.

Multiple lanes were closed following the crash, prompting the CHP to allow all drivers to use the express lane on the highway. All lanes reopened as of 9:07 a.m.

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LIVERMORE (CBS SF) — Firefighters Saturday afternoon were battling three brush fires totaling 100 acres in unincorporated Alameda County, Cal Fire officials said on Twitter.

The fires were first reported at 5 p.m. off Interstate Highway 580 and West Grant Line Road, ten miles east of Livermore.

All lanes of westbound I-580 were blocked, California Highway Patrol Officer William Ogilvie said. CHP officials began reopening the lanes around 6:30 p.m.
https://twitter.com/cyrildorsaz/status/746861348634529792/video/1
All traffic was being diverted onto West Grant Line Road and then to Altamont Pass Road.

Cal Fire tweeted the fire was 75% contained around 6:30 p.m.

#GrantFire [update] off westbound 580 & Grant Line Rd in the Altamont Pass (Alameda County) is now 211 acres & 75% contained.

— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) June 26, 2016

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RICHMOND (CBS SF) – A San Pablo man suffered major injuries when his SUV crashed into the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge toll plaza Monday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The 46-year-old driver was allegedly speeding in a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado west on Interstate Highway 580 in Richmond around 5:15 a.m., CHP Officer Andrew Barclay said.

The driver was heading toward the far left toll lane but suddenly tried to get in the No. 2 lane and struck the safety attenuator between the two lanes, Barclay said.

The truck began overturning and the top of its cab struck the toll plaza booth, causing major damage to the truck and booth. The truck came to rest on its wheels with the driver trapped inside, according to Barclay.

The CHP and the Richmond Fire Department responded and closed three lanes of traffic at the toll plaza while the driver was removed from his vehicle, Barclay said.

The driver suffered major life-threatening injuries and was taken to Highland Hospital in Oakland, Barclay said.

The crash closed two of the three toll lanes until 6:34 a.m. and the No. 2 lane remained closed for repairs Monday morning, Barclay said.

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OAKLAND (CBS SF) – California Highway Patrol officers pulled a semi-conscious man out of a burning Honda Accord that crashed in Oakland Tuesday morning, according to the CHP.

The officers found the Honda at about 7:30 a.m. on eastbound Interstate Highway 580, where it had just struck the median near Park Boulevard, CHP officials said.

The officers noticed the car was starting to catch fire and the dazed driver was still inside. They managed to get him out before the car was engulfed in flames.

The driver suffered only minor injuries and was taken to a hospital. Investigators are looking into the possibility that he had suffered a medical emergency that led to the crash, according to the CHP.

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DUBLIN (CBS SF) – All westbound lanes of Interstate Highway 580 near the junction with Interstate Highway 680 in Dublin have reopened Friday morning following a Thursday night crash involving a big-rig, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The interstate lanes were block Thursday by a big-rig that crashed and caught fire.

The crash was first reported Thursday around 6:30 p.m.

Crews worked through the night to clear the scene, and the lanes were reported open just before 5 a.m.

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RICHMOND (KPIX 5) — A little bird could become a big hold up for important upgrades on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.

A path on the upper deck will enable bike riders to get across in both directions and a third traffic lane on the lower deck will ease congestion for drivers heading eastbound.

The backhoes are waiting  – the safety barriers are lined to go  up – but thanks to a little winged friend  work on a key part of the $70 million Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Bridge re-do has been put on hold.

Randy Rentschler, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission said, “In this particular case a bird’s nest was found.”

Not just any bird – but a protected bird under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act – and one with an egg waiting to hatch.

Rentschler said, “Hummingbirds are on the list so the followed the rules.”

“A single Hummingbird nest with an egg is going to cost us a couple of weeks,” Rentschler said,

Rentschler said he doesn’t know how much it will cost.

“At this point we think we can make the time up,” he said.

While stopping work for a single hummingbird egg may sound extreme, the bigger the project the bigger the odds that something like this will happen.

Rentschler said, “In all cases on major construction projects you can find a species of something that’s protected by somebody, the feds of the state.”

Protecting nesting birds and fish has also caused long delays in the take down of the old Bay Bridge.

Rentschler said, “And that has cost tens of millions of dollars.”

Even the night lights on the San Francisco side of the bridge had to be declared bird and fish friendly before they went on.

LIVERMORE (CBS SF) – Caltrans officials had bad news for commuters in the East Bay Wednesday afternoon, announcing that the closure of two westbound lanes of I-580 in Livermore to repair several potholes would extend until 10 p.m.

Caltrans had initially projected that the closure of two right lanes of westbound I-580 near Greenville Road after the Altamont Pass would reopen by 4 p.m., providing some relief for the evening commute.

However, CHP later confirmed that the closure would last until 9 p.m. Shortly after 3:30 p.m., Caltrans extended the lane closure to 10 p.m.

Drivers started experiencing major delays early Wednesday morning.

• Latest KCBS Traffic Conditions

The California Highway Patrol said they received word of the problem around 3 a.m., after more than a dozen drivers said they experienced flat tires. CHP officers found multiple potholes on the stretch of freeway.

While drivers are being asked to take alternate routes around the closure, major delays have been reported on Altamont Pass Road and Patterson Pass Road as well.

Around 7:10 a.m. the KCBS traffic map showed backups stretching well into San Joaquin County. Interstate 205 appeared to be backed up into Tracy, while Interstate 580 was backed up to Highway 132, which connects the freeway to the Modesto area.

Caltrans took all morning to make a plan to fill the holes temporarily. The real challenge for crews repairing the potholes is that they’re on a bridge, so the fix is not as easy as just filling it in.

“More permanent repairs need warmer, drier weather,” said Caltrans spokesperson Bob Haus.

The traffic was crawling between Tracy and Livermore. It took truck driver Dominick Gittens 2½ hours to travel that stretch of freeway. He says 580 has been needing repairs for years.

“It’s happened before, so for them not to fix it and we pay all these taxes, it’s kind of horrible,” said Gittens.

Caltrans says there are plans to re-pave the whole roadway later this year.

“I know that the pavement out there is in really ragged shape, but there are other places that need it even more first,” said Haus.

LIVERMORE (CBS SF) – All lanes on Interstate Highway 580 are open Thursday after a large pothole closed two westbound lanes Wednesday morning, California Highway Patrol officials said.

At 10:46 p.m. Wednesday, CHP crews reopened the two right westbound lanes that were closed most of the day.

• Latest KCBS Traffic Conditions

CHP officials first reported the closure at 5 a.m. Wednesday, just east of Greenville Road near Livermore. The closure backed up morning traffic all the way to Tracy.

According to Caltrans spokesman Marcus Wagner, the 4-by-12-foot pothole was caused by rain and an aging roadway.

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LIVERMORE (CBS SF) — Two people were severely injured Saturday morning after a traffic collision on eastbound Interstate Highway 580 in Livermore, according to fire officials.

Alameda County Fire, along with the California Highway Patrol, responded to the scene just east of West Grant Line Road and Jess Ranch Road shortly before 9:45 a.m.

Fire officials said one person suffered life-threatening injuries and was flown to a nearby hospital. Another person had severe injuries and was taken to a hospital by ambulance.

There was no further information on the status of the two people injured, and the CHP is currently investigating the incident.

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CASTRO VALLEY (KCBS) – A traffic stop of a driver talking on his cellphone uncovered a big East Bay drug haul over the weekend. Investigators said this shows the underground marijuana market is still lucrative despite legalization.

The California Highway Patrol said an officer spotted a man talking on his phone on Interstate 580 near Castro Valley on Saturday. As he tried to pull the driver over, he was cut off by a sedan, which was trying to distract the officer.

Both drivers were stopped and officers found over 200 pounds of marijuana between the two vehicles. That traffic stop led to two storage units in Alameda, where investigators found another 100 pounds of pot, grow equipment and over $1 million stashed in a suitcase.

“So basically a car stop for a cellphone violation led to the recovery of 325 pounds of marijuana, $1,030,000 and on top of that some marijuana equipment,” Alameda County Sheriff’s spokesperson Ray Kelly told KCBS.

The names of the two suspects are not being released yet but they’re believed to be connected to a larger network.

“Marijuana continues to be a very, very lucrative business,” Kelly said.

RICHMOND (CBS SF) — A gravel spill blocked all lanes of westbound Interstate Highway 580 in Richmond Thursday afternoon, snarling traffic for over two hours while the mess was being cleared.

The spill was reported at about 1:30 p.m. east of Canal Boulevard and the CHP reported that there was a subsequent vehicle collision in the area, possibly as a result of the back-up cause by the spill.

Caltrans clean-up crews arrived at the scene a short time later, but all lanes were still blocked as of 2:50 p.m., according to reports

Traffic was re-routed around the spill through the highway’s center divide during the closure.

Crews cleared enough of the gravel that the left lanes of I-580 were reopened by around 3:30 p.m.

All lanes were finally cleared by about 4 p.m., according to traffic service 511.org. The lane closures lasted approximately two and a half hours. Drivers should expect some residual delays.

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