Full weekend closure of westbound I-80 Alfred Zampa Memorial Carquinez Bridge Aug. 21-24

By Sabrina Martinez, PIO, Solano County & DeNise Harding, PIO, Contra Costa County, Caltrans

Caltrans construction is scheduled to implement a full closure of Westbound I-80 Alfred Zampa Memorial Carquinez Bridge on Friday, August 21, 2026, at 10:00 PM, and continues until 3:00 AM Monday, August 24, 2026. Construction crews will be working the full weekend to repave the entire westbound bridge deck. Caltrans maintenance crews will also be working in Vallejo from the foot of the bridge to Highway 780 and complete work like maintenance, vegetation control and litter/graffiti cleanup among other tasks.

According to Caltrans PIO for Solano County Sabrina Martinez, “Beginning Friday…at 8:00 p.m. crews will start reducing lanes until we reach full closure at 10:00 p.m. Crews will then be working on rehabilitating the bridge deck. It means the top layer of the bridge will be removed and replaced with new asphalt for motorists to enjoy a smoother and safer ride.”

Eastbound lanes remain OPEN for travel from the Bay Area to the Central Valley.

Schedule:

Start – Friday, August 21, 2026, at 10:00 PM

End – Monday, August 24, 2026, at 3:00 AM

Note: Pedestrian/Bike Path will be closed for the weekend.

Motorists are advised to plan ahead and expect delays. Please see detour maps and use alternate routes.

Sign up for closure updates here.

I-80 Westbound Carquinez (Al Zampa) Bridge Deck Rehabilitation Project: https://bit.ly/3RS5O2M

Visit the Carquinez Bridge Website: https://bit.ly/3RW3Ka1

For real-time traffic, click on Caltrans QuickMap: https://bit.ly/3SS8A49

Follow us on X: https://x.com/CaltransD4

Or call 1-800-472-7623, 1-800-427-ROAD for state highway conditions statewide.

About Alfred “Al” Zampa

According to Caltrans, Alfred “Al” Zampa was the first-born son of Emilio and Maria Zampa, Italian immigrants who migrated to the USA from Abruzzi, Italy. Al was born on March 12, 1905 in Selby, California just down the river from where the bridge that bares his name sits. He was the eldest of three brothers and two sisters.

Al started his career in ironwork when he was 20 years old on the first Carquinez Bridge opening in 1927. He worked on all of the highway and railroad bridges in the area, including the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge. In 1936 Al fell from the Golden Gate into a safety net designed by famous bridge engineer Joseph Strauss. He survived the fall but it severely injured him. After recovering Al immediately returned to his job on the bridge and along with other fall survivors, he helped form the Halfway to Hell Club. The highlight of Al’s career came when his two sons joined him as ironworkers to help build the second Carquinez Bridge that would open in 1958 to carry traffic Eastbound on the new Interstate 80 highway.

In 1987, some years after his retirement, on the 50th anniversary of the completion of the Golden Gate Bridge a play called “The Ace” was produced based on Al’s life story. The play ran at Ft. Point in San Francisco for several weeks. Al began to share his story with the media and was interviewed by magazines, radio shows and TV programs such as “On the Road with Charles Kuralt.” Later Al contributed to the documentary “Skywalkers, A Story of the Ironworkers.”

Al always spoke highly of being a union ironworker and the benefits he received as a union member. He was very competitive and did not like to fail. He enjoyed playing pool and coaching little league baseball. He started the first Tri-City Little League with friends in 1947. He coached his Crockett team to victory, winning the league 6 consecutive years. While working, coaching little league baseball, playing pool, or any of his pastimes, Al Zampa was dedicated to achievement.

In March of 2000 ground was broken on a new suspension bridge to replace the original Carquinez Bridge. Al was there to see history repeat itself. This new bridge is named in memory of Crockett’s own Alfred Zampa, an in recognition of the men and women of the building and construction trades who build these great monuments.

See video of Al Zampa and the opening of the new bridge.