Rockridge to San Mateo in AM: Bay Bridge or San Mateo Bridge? (Hayward: construction, college)

[user376]

I need to be in San Mateo (near the intersection of 92/101) by 9:00 AM during this coming week. I am coming from Rockridge, so 80, 580, and (God forbid) 880 are all accessible to me. Which is the better route: Bay Bridge and 101, or 580 to the San Mateo (via 238 or through Hayward streets)? Reliability is my most important consideration because it is essential that I be there on time. Which route do you guys prefer, and how long do you think it will take? I have heard that the traffic patterns have changed with the new tolls; and are they still doing construction by the San Mateo?

Thanks all.

[SickOfCalifornia]

Personally, I would take the SM bridge. The Bay Bridge is always a mess, and you're just passing through.

[lmk1707]

Originally Posted by user376

I need to be in San Mateo (near the intersection of 92/101) by 9:00 AM during this coming week. I am coming from Rockridge, so 80, 580, and (God forbid) 880 are all accessible to me. Which is the better route: Bay Bridge and 101, or 580 to the San Mateo (via 238 or through Hayward streets)? Reliability is my most important consideration because it is essential that I be there on time. Which route do you guys prefer, and how long do you think it will take? I have heard that the traffic patterns have changed with the new tolls; and are they still doing construction by the San Mateo?

Thanks all.

Coming from Lake Merritt, I take 580 > Hayward city streets (the 880/92 bottleneck almost always takes longer than going through Hayward) > 92. One time I took the Bay Bridge, because there was an accident at the San Mateo, and it was a big mistake. Coming home, I take 92 > Clawiter (Hayward streets) > 880 > 238 > 580.

[jade408]

I have a feeling that all of them are crappy choices. The Bay Bridge is backed up by 7, and then who knows if you'll run into issues along the way. 880 tends to be pretty good until you reach Hayward. And unfortunately you end up in the height of the AM commute for the SM bridge by the time you get there. I'd recommend allotting 2 hours. That is really your best best for timely performance, you should make it to SM by 8:15 daily and beat the bulk of the huge traffic jams. Then find a way to reclaim the 40 minutes once you are there. AM commute to SM seems to take about 90 minutes no matter which way you go, but there is no way to make it more reliable, stuff happens all the time.

I used to work off Clawiter on 92 (before the SM toll plaza) and I live right by the Harrison exit on 580. My AM commute took 20-23 minutes if I left before 7:25 and 30 minutes at 7:30. Every minute after 7:30 added about 2 minutes once I got to Hayward. I tried the streets, driving through San Leandro and it all was pretty equivalent but 880 was fastest if it was a traffic free time (aka before 7:25) otherwise I took 580 and drove through San Leandro, this took more like 27 or 30 minutes. If you choose the streets to get to 92, I found the SL route faster than the through downtown Hayward way. Less traffic on the way to 92 (exit the Bayfair mall exit. There is also a drive through Starbucks on that route. The city streets through Hayward are pretty clogged through downtown. You'll run into the Chabot traffic, and TriValley people from Dublin/Pleasanton/San Ramon on the streets and people driving to BART. If you can get to the SM bridge before 8, traffic isn't too horrible, but after 8 things go downhill. 101 also causes an extra bottleneck.

For the Bay Bridge, the rules are pretty similar. If you get on the bridge before 730, it is almost smooth sailing, but every minute after makes it more difficult. Especially if you are not in the carpool lane.

[lmk1707]

Originally Posted by jade408

I have a feeling that all of them are crappy choices. The Bay Bridge is backed up by 7, and then who knows if you'll run into issues along the way. 880 tends to be pretty good until you reach Hayward. And unfortunately you end up in the height of the AM commute for the SM bridge by the time you get there. I'd recommend allotting 2 hours. That is really your best best for timely performance, you should make it to SM by 8:15 daily and beat the bulk of the huge traffic jams. Then find a way to reclaim the 40 minutes once you are there. AM commute to SM seems to take about 90 minutes no matter which way you go, but there is no way to make it more reliable, stuff happens all the time.

I used to work off Clawiter on 92 (before the SM toll plaza) and I live right by the Harrison exit on 580. My AM commute took 20-23 minutes if I left before 7:25 and 30 minutes at 7:30. Every minute after 7:30 added about 2 minutes once I got to Hayward. I tried the streets, driving through San Leandro and it all was pretty equivalent but 880 was fastest if it was a traffic free time (aka before 7:25) otherwise I took 580 and drove through San Leandro, this took more like 27 or 30 minutes. If you choose the streets to get to 92, I found the SL route faster than the through downtown Hayward way. Less traffic on the way to 92 (exit the Bayfair mall exit. There is also a drive through Starbucks on that route. The city streets through Hayward are pretty clogged through downtown. You'll run into the Chabot traffic, and TriValley people from Dublin/Pleasanton/San Ramon on the streets and people driving to BART. If you can get to the SM bridge before 8, traffic isn't too horrible, but after 8 things go downhill. 101 also causes an extra bottleneck.

For the Bay Bridge, the rules are pretty similar. If you get on the bridge before 730, it is almost smooth sailing, but every minute after makes it more difficult. Especially if you are not in the carpool lane.

Lake Merritt to Belmont takes 45 minutes via my route - coming from Rockridge I'm guessing will add 15 minutes with the 24/580 bottleneck, but I think 2 hours is an over-statement. I time it every time I take a new route - Grand Ave. to Hayward exit (the 238 branch) takes 12 minutes, 10 minutes to get through Hayward, 5 minutes to get to the bridge, 10 minutes to cross it, and another 13 minutes to get to my office in Belmont.

[jade408]

@lmk1707: what time do you leave....I notice the traffic is way worse the closer you are to 8am to leaving. It only takes 45 minutes (give or take) at 7 possibly all the way up to 7:30. But you need to tack on more time the later you leave. If you left at 8a, you'd never make it by 9.

[lmk1707]

Originally Posted by jade408

@lmk1707: what time do you leave....I notice the traffic is way worse the closer you are to 8am to leaving. It only takes 45 minutes (give or take) at 7 possibly all the way up to 7:30. But you need to tack on more time the later you leave. If you left at 8a, you'd never make it by 9.

My start time is flexible, so I leave between 7:30 and 8:30 most days. If there's an accident on 92, it can creep up towards 60 minutes, and when the bridge was closed when the boat crashed into it, it took 90 minutes.

[tanglenet]

My rec is to pick up casual carpoolers at Hudson / Claremont, or Claremont / College and use the carpool lane over the Bay Bridge. You drop them off at Mission in SF and jump back on the freeway. Should be a clean shot south from there. You save a significant amount of time crossing the bridge. Ask the carpoolers for the best way to approach the bridge as they have it down pat and would love to tell you what to do.

http://www.ridenow.org/carpool/index.html

[tanglenet]

I forgot to mention that the above post assumes that you have FASTRAK. I believe that the carpool lanes require FASTRAK since they upped the tolls a couple of weeks ago.

[thecooler]

I would just listen to/watch the traffic report before you leave. I did a similar commute (San Leandro to Brisbane) a number of times, and every day was different, some days the Bay bridge would have an accident or back up and other days that happened on the San Mateo bridge, I just took whatever route looked easier for each particular day.