New job, new commute, and a new routine of spending 2.5 hours on 880 every workday. The job is…read moregreat, but the commute sucks.
As another reviewer noted, it's not like this review will have any impact whatsoever on the experience that is 880, but since a Yelp page exists for this entity (I love you, Yelp), I may as well pitch in my $0.02, since I will now be spending the equivalent of 26 full days each year on this roadway.
So, a few things about 880....
There is a FasTrak express lane that you can utilize if you want to be gouged with absolutely insane 'tolls', regardless of the fact that we already pay for these roadways with our tax dollars. The 'tolls' fluctuate constantly based on traffic. I've seen them as high as $15 - to travel in the express lane for stretches of less than 10 miles. It's positively criminal. Unless I am really in a pinch time-wise, I will not use the express lane, and would go broke if I used it daily. The 'tolls' are in effect all day, until 8pm I believe.
The traffic congestion on this freeway is awful. At all hours. In both directions. It rivals the 405 in Southern California, which is basically a parking lot. I know it's not the freeway's fault the Bay Area is grossly overcrowded, but the fact remains that the traffic nightmares are a direct consequence of there simply being way too many people in the area.
Next thing about 880 is that there are consistently a ton of big rigs all over the road - by far more than any other freeway I've traveled on. The obvious size difference between passenger vehicles and big rigs, along with the limited visibility the trucks create, inherently increases the risk of traveling on this roadway.
Needless to say, drive with the utmost caution, leave plenty of room between your and other vehicles, and give yourself ample time to get to your destination.
Ok, now for the positives, if you want to call them that....
First, the road is in fairly decent condition, by California standards anyway, despite the incredible wear-and-tear it takes each day.
Second, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but so far, my fellow commuters have been, for the most part.... respectful. I have seen virtually no road raging. Perhaps it is because we are severely limited in how fast we can move along, but whatever the reason, I'll take it. Perhaps we're all just trauma-bonding.
So, again, please drive carefully and respectfully, y'all, on 880, and in general. Let's do our best to make commuting as bearable as possible.
Happy travels!