Caltrans and the Alameda County Transportation Commission held a virtual ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday to celebrate the opening of a new express lane on northbound Interstate 680 in the Sunol area.

The express lane runs on northbound I-680 between south of Auto Mall Parkway and state Highway 84, and can be used by carpoolers, motorcyclists and transit vehicles, according to Caltrans.

Fremont Mayor Lily Mei speaks in a video commemorating the opening of the northbound I-680 express lane.

A southbound express lane through the same area is still under construction. By spring 2021, tolling operations for solo drivers will be in operation in both directions, and there will be a near-continuous express lane system on I-680 from south of Highway 84 to north of Highway 262.

“I cannot stress enough the importance of this regional transportation project,” Fremont Mayor Lily Mei said in a news release. “Millions of drivers travel along this corridor, and now I can happily say that they will be able to reach their destinations more quickly and more reliably.”

More information about the project can be found on the Alameda County Transportation Commission’s website. A video of the virtual ribbon-cutting can be viewed on the commission’s Facebook page.

Dan McMenamin is the managing editor at Bay City News, directing daily news coverage of the 12-county greater Bay Area. He has worked for BCN since 2008 and has been managing editor since 2014 after previously serving as BCN’s San Francisco bureau reporter. A UC Davis graduate, he came to BCN after working for a newspaper and nonprofit in the Davis area. He handles staffing, including coaching of our interns, day-to-day coverage decisions and management of the newswire.