Interstate 580 East - Marin County


Interstate 580 east
This sign is mounted over the transition ramp from southbound U.S. 101 onto eastbound Interstate 580. The first exit along eastbound is Exit 1, Bellam Boulevard and Francisco Boulevard. This sign has changed since we took this picture in 2003 due to a ramp improvement project completed in 2009, but we don't have the replacement sign ready for posting yet. Photo taken 11/28/03.
Eastbound Interstate 580 meets Exit 1, Bellam Boulevard and Francisco Boulevard. This picture was taken on a drizzly, rainy day. In 2009, this sign was also replaced as a result of an improvement project in 2009. Photo taken 11/28/03.
Motorists see this view of Interstate 580 east after the Bellam Boulevard and Francisco Boulevard interchange. Photo taken 07/02/13.
An Interstate 580 east reassurance shield is posted after the Bellam Boulevard and Francisco Boulevard interchange. Photo taken 07/02/13.
Interstate 580 carries two lanes in each direction between the Bellam Boulevard and Francisco Boulevard interchange and the Sir Francis Drake Boulevard interchange. Photo taken 07/02/13.
The eastbound lanes pass under the ramp connecting westbound Interstate 580 to Sir Francis Drake Boulevard west. Photo taken 07/02/13.
The eastbound lanes of Interstate 580 leave the city of San Rafael, while the westbound lanes stay in the city limits all the way to the foot of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. Traffic from eastbound Sir Francis Drake Boulevard merges onto Interstate 580 east. Photo taken 07/02/13.
Interstate 580 will cross over the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, a toll crossing over the northern San Francisco Bay and southern San Pablo Bay. The eastbound traffic crosses the bridge for free, while the westbound traffic must pay a toll. This sign advises that the next off-ramp (Exit 2) is the last before the toll bridge begins. Photo taken 07/02/13.
The next exit along Interstate 580 east is Exit 2, Main Street to San Quentin and Francisco Boulevard. San Quentin is an unincorporated community that contains the San Quentin State Prison. Notorious for housing infamous criminals and for having less than stellar conditions, the San Quentin prison sits innocuously by the bay in the shadow of Interstate 580 and its trans-bay bridge. Photo taken 07/02/13.
Eastbound Interstate 580 meets Exit 2, Main Street to San Quentin. This is the last Marin County exit; through traffic will cross the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge en route to Richmond and Oakland. Photo taken 07/02/13.
The western half of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge comes into view along eastbound Interstate 580 at the gore point for Exit 2, Main Street. This is a fairly long bridge (5.5 miles) with two high cantilever sections. Photo taken 07/02/13.
Interstate 580 crosses San Francisco Bay along a double-deck, four-lane span with two lanes plus an emergency lane on each deck. Opening on September 1, 1956, the cantilever and truss bridge features two high points along its 5.5 miles (4.04 miles are over water). For more on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge (John F. McCarthy Memorial Bridge), including toll rates, see the Toll Bridge Directory from Caltrans District IV. The bridge starts as a side-by-side causeway but soon gains elevation to enter the cantilever truss sections. Photos taken 07/02/13, 05/25/06, and 11/28/03.
Crossing the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, the eastbound lanes take the lower deck. The emergency lane is located to the right, offering a shoulder that is not found on the much more heavily traveled Interstate 80 Bay Bridge. Note the curves, rises, and valleys along the freeway as it crosses the open water. Since this is such a long route over the bay, the modifications allow for a bit of diversity in the driving experience. Photos taken 07/02/13, 05/25/06, and 11/28/03.
The eastbound lanes remain on the lower deck, so views of the bridge superstructure (overhead) is limited to the upper deck where the westbound lanes reside. The bridge was retrofitted for earthquake protection on September 22, 2005, including the causeway on the Marin side. Around the middle of the bay, Interstate 580 leaves Marin County and enters Contra Costa County and the city of Richmond (population 103,701 as of 2010 Census and incorporated on August 7, 1905). Photos taken 07/02/13, 05/25/06, and 11/28/03.
Looking south from the lower deck (eastbound lanes) of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, on a clear day we can see the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge (Interstate 80) and the skyline of the city of San Francisco. Photos taken 07/02/13.


Continue east on I-580 to Richmond  Return to the Interstate 580 Guide  Return to the California Gateway

Page Updated August 24, 2013.

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