To: Board of Supervisors
From: Warren Lai, Public Works Director/Chief Engineer
Report Title: Resolution of Necessity Hearing for the I-680/SR4 Interchange Project - Phase 2A & 4, Martinez/Pacheco area
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
OPEN the public hearing and ask if any notified property owners wish to be heard as to the four items specified in Section B below; CONSIDER all testimony and public comments received prior to the close of the hearing; and CLOSE the public hearing.
Upon completion and closing of the hearing, MAKE the findings and determinations listed under Section B below, and ADOPT the attached Resolution of Necessity to acquire the required property and property interests by eminent domain. Project No.: 4660-6X4175.
CONSIDER the Initial Study and Negative Declaration/Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact (the “CEQA/NEPA document”) prepared by the State of California, Department of Transportation - the lead agency - for the I-680/SR4 Interchange Project (State Clearinghouse No. 2006082017); and DETERMINE that the Project will not have any significant effects on the environment, as disclosed in the CEQA/NEPA document.
DIRECT the Public Works Director, or designee, to file a CEQA notice of determination with the County Clerk-Recorder and the State Clearinghouse and AUTHORIZE payment to the Clerk-Recorder in the amount of $50 for the required filing fee.
FISCAL IMPACT:
In eminent domain actions the judgment will be the price paid for the property and may include court costs, which are regarded as a roughly calculable expense of property acquisition. Costs of acquisition in this case are 100% reimbursable from the Contra Costa Transportation Authority.
BACKGROUND:
A. Proposed Project
The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) propose to construct Phases 2A and 4 improvements for the Interstate 680 (I-680) / State Route 4 (SR 4) Interchange Project (“Project”) in Contra Costa County to improve specific safety and operations deficiencies associated with the existing facility. The Project is a state highway project. CCTA is the Project sponsor and the County is responsible for Project right of way acquisition. An agreement between the County and CCTA designates the County as the party to exercise the power of eminent domain for the project, if the County’s board of supervisors elects to make the discretionary decision to proceed with condemnation. (Code Civ. Proc., § 1240.140.)
The parties are now prepared to proceed with two segments of the proposed project, which consist of the following primary improvements.
Phase 2A.
Phase 2A of the Project includes:
- Widen diagonal ramp from EB SR 4 to SB I-680 from 1 to 2 lanes. Widen a portion of loop ramp from WB SR 4 to SB I-680 from 1 to 2 lanes. This will require widening of the existing Grayson Creek Bridge.
- Construct auxiliary lanes as follows: Along SB I-680 from the EB SR 4 to SB I-680 to 300 feet north of Center Avenue.
- Install ramp metering facility for SB I-680 on-ramp.
Phase 4.
Phase 4 of the Project includes:
- Construct a two-lane direct connector from SB I-680 to EB SR 4.
- Realign northern portion of SB I-680 to WB SR 4 diagonal ramp.
- Remove existing loop ramp from SB I-680 to EB SR 4.
- Construct auxiliary lane along EB SR 4 from the entrance of the direct connector stated above to 1,000 feet north of Peralta Road.
- Along EB SR 4, realign Solano Way off-ramp and on-ramp to accommodate above mentioned auxiliary lane.
- Remove the Collector-Distributor (C-D) road parallel to SB I-680 and realign entrance of loop ramp from WB SR 4 to SB I-680.
- Install ramp metering facility for SB 680/EB SR 4 on-ramp.
In 2008, the State of California, Department of Transportation, as the lead agency, adopted an Initial Study and Negative Declaration/Environmental Assessment and Findings of No Significant Impact (the “CEQA/NEPA document”) for the I-680/SR4 Interchange Project, in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) and National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA). The improvements are proposed to be implemented over five phases. Each project phase can be independently constructed to provide incremental benefits in meeting the overall project goal to improve operational efficiencies and traffic flow, address safety concerns associated with the existing interchange configuration, and accommodate existing and planned growth on this segment of highway.
Prior to Re-Validation, Phase 3 of the Project was implemented as the first construction phase. A Re-Validation was prepared in 2018 for Phase 3 with supporting technical addenda and determined the original environmental document (ED) remained valid. Subsequently, Phase 3 improvements have been constructed. CCTA and Caltrans now propose to construct Phases 2A (the initial part of the Phase 2 work), and 4.
In order to proceed with these phases of the Project, it is necessary for the County to exercise its power of eminent domain. Pursuant to Section 1245.235 of the Code of Civil Procedure, notice was given to all persons listed on the attached Exhibit “A” whose names and addresses appear on the last equalized county assessment roll. This notice consisted of sending by first-class and certified mail on March 13, 2026, a Notice of Intention, which notified these owners that a hearing is scheduled for April 14, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. in the Board's Chambers, at which time they may appear to be heard on the matters referred to in the notice.
B. Scope of Hearing and Findings under Code of Civil Procedure Section 1245.235
1. The public interest and necessity require the proposed project.
The Project is being constructed to improve operational efficiencies and traffic flow, address safety concerns associated with the existing interchange configuration, and accommodate existing and planned growth. The I-680/SR-4 Phases 2A and 4 Project is intended to improve travel operations along the I-680 and SR-4 corridor within the study area. These improvements will provide several operational benefits to the corridor. By eliminating the short weaving distances through the I-680/SR-4 interchange, the project will reduce merging and lane-changing conflicts, improve traffic flow, and enhance driver expectancy through this heavily traveled interchange area. The added auxiliary lanes along southbound I-680 and eastbound SR-4 will provide greater distance for vehicles to merge, diverge, and adjust speeds, which will improve overall traffic operations and reduce turbulence along the mainline freeway segments. In addition, installation of ramp metering at the interchange will help regulate the rate at which vehicles enter the freeway system, thereby reducing congestion and helping to alleviate existing queue spillback onto the mainline freeway. This will improve reliability of traffic operations, particularly during peak commute periods when congestion is most severe. The proposed improvements are also expected to reduce overall travel time and vehicle delay within the corridor by increasing capacity at key ramp connections and improving interchange efficiency. Improved traffic flow and reduced stop-and-go conditions will contribute to better travel time reliability for motorists using the corridor. In addition, by reducing conflict points and smoothing vehicle movements through the interchange, the project will provide safety benefits and support more efficient freeway operations overall.
2. The project is planned and located in the manner that will be most compatible with the greatest public good and the least private injury.
The Project has been planned and located in a manner that maximizes the public benefit while minimizing private impacts. Various alignment alternatives were studied and evaluated, and the selected alternative represents the best balance between improving safety, traffic operations, and regional connectivity at the I-680/SR 4 interchange, while minimizing impacts to private property to the extent feasible. The proposed acquisitions have been limited to only those property rights necessary for the construction, operation, and maintenance of Phases 2A and 4 of the Project.
The alternative alignments that were investigated would have resulted in greater impacts to the subject property, including the removal of several storage buildings located on the site. By contrast, the current proposed alignment was refined to avoid those more substantial impacts. As proposed, the alignment preserves the existing storage buildings and limits the acquisition to the minimum property rights necessary, without adversely affecting the ongoing operation of the adjacent business.
3. The property sought to be acquired is necessary for the project,
The property interests proposed for acquisition, as described in the attached resolution of necessity, are necessary to construct, operate, and maintain Phases 2A and 4 of the Project in accordance with applicable design standards and regulatory requirements. The required acquisitions support roadway widening, structure, drainage facilities, and other project-related features of this state highway project. Extensive efforts were made during project development to minimize right-of-way impacts, and the acquisitions have been limited to only those property rights essential to achieve the Project’s purpose and need while maintaining safety, functionality, and constructability. Without the property interests described in the attached resolution of necessity, Phases 2A and 4 of the Project cannot be constructed as planned and designed.
4. The offer of compensation required by Section 7267.2 of the Government Code has been made to the owner or owners of record.
On February 6, 2026, the County, through the Real Estate Division of the Public Works Department, made an offer of just compensation to $321,000.00, the owner of record of the property interests described in the attached Resolution of Necessity. The County’s offer was based on an appraisal of the fair market value of the property interests being acquired for these Project phases. In this case, efforts were made to acquire each required property or property interest through negotiated purchase and sale instead of by condemnation. Attempts to negotiate a settlement involved an offer being mailed and emailed to the owners of record, phone discussions, and a meeting at the project site with property owner and his representative. However, those negotiations were not successful, requiring the County to proceed with the adoption of this Resolution of Necessity.
C. CEQA Review
The State of California, Department of Transportation is the CEQA/NEPA lead agency for the Project and approved the CEQA/NEPA document. The County is acting as a CEQA responsible agency. As a responsible agency, the County is required to consider the CEQA/NEPA document and determine whether the Project will have any significant environmental effects. Public Works staff have reviewed the CEQA/NEPA document and have determined that the Project, and all phases of it, will not have any significant effects on the environment, and, therefore, findings and a statement of overriding considerations are not required. (See CEQA Guidelines, § 15091(h). Staff recommend that the Board make the same determination and direct staff to file a CEQA notice of determination. (See CEQA Guidelines, § 15091.)
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
The County will be unable to acquire the property rights necessary for the project by eminent domain.