Construction set to begin on westbound I-580 in Oakland to convert to HOV lane

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- East Bay commuters will see a big change on westbound Interstate 580 in Oakland as construction begins to convert the far-left lane into a HOV lane on along the 2.3 miles from Piedmont Avenue in Oakland to the MacArthur Maze.

Construction starts on Monday, April 20. Most of the work will be done overnight, so drivers can expect night-time lane closures though the summer. The carpool lane is expected to open in October.

Officials hope the potential time saved not having to sit in traffic will be enough incentive for drivers to use the lane.

"Time is money, for everybody," says John Goodwin is with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), which overseas transportation projects around the Bay Area.

This is one of several projects that are part of the Bay Bridge Forward initiative, which is designed to improve travel time, reduce congestion and encourage more carpooling and public transit on the Bay Bridge.

"The idea is, behind of these, is to move more people in fewer cars through this area," explains Goodwin.

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But some drivers aren't convinced it'll be enough to change driving habits.

"Problem with that is, the world moves too fast. People don't have enough time to go to meeting spots, gather up together and then got to work. They are already cut short on time, anyway. So- no. It's not going to do anything," suggests Marvin Boyd, an Oakland resident.

Some also point out that many of the carpool pickup spots are also underutilized, such as near Lake Merritt.

When asked how some drivers may see the move to create an HOV lane as taking away a lane of traffic, Goodwin replied: "Point taken. This is very much designed to ensure and expand the time advantage that buses and carpools have."

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MTC says the data shows faster commute times for those who use the bus and carpool lane. But will faster commute times be enough to incentivize drivers to use the carpool lane?

"The data is inconsistent. It varies from location to location. From varies at different times of day. This is certainly not a magic bullet for congestion problems approaching the Bay Bridge," say Goodwin.

The MTC says once the HOV lane opens, it'll be months before they have their first data set. Goodwin adds, if the data shows that HOV is ineffective, changes can be made, which may include removing the HOV lane designation.

Once opened, this HOV lane will be restricted to buses and other vehicles with three or more occupants on weekdays from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Electric vehicle cars will also need to met the requirements.