Home < News <  May 2, 2007

Transportation Alternatives in Light of 580 Freeway Damage
May 2, 2007

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT COMMUNITY:

As has been reported in the news, a section of the 580 freeway at the Macarthur maze in Oakland was damaged and closed Sunday morning as a result of a crash and explosion of a gas tanker.

Governor Schwarzenegger and local officials are developing a recovery plan, but it is currently estimated that it will take several months to repair the affected roads and restore normal traffic patterns. Employees may stay abreast of the progress of the repairs via the local news.

Alternatives:

For now, motorists are being strongly encouraged to take alternative forms of transportation including BART, carpool, bicycling and walking. We want to remind you that UCOP Parking & Transportation already offers several alternative transportation programs for commuting to work. They are:

• Using the online Wageworks system, employees can have transit tickets mailed to their home from over 550 different transit operators and pay for them on a pre-tax basis.
• Through Flexcar, UCOP offers a free carshare program which allows all employees to leave their car at home and use a UCOP van for business purposes throughout the work day.
• The UCOP Vanpool program is available for more people to join.

For more information about any of these programs, please visit the Building Services website or contact Dan Beaman, Parking & Transportation Coordinator at (510) 987-0111 or dan.beaman@ucop.edu to see what transportation alternatives might best serve you during this potentially difficult time.