MacArthur Maze

The MacArthur Maze in the U.S. city of Oakland, California is a freeway interchange next to the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Caltrans calls it the distribution structure. However, local traffic reporters and residents generally use "the Maze" to refer to the series of freeway interchanges in that general area. The MacArthur Maze is named after nearby MacArthur Boulevard and the MacArthur Freeway (Interstate 580), which in turn are named after General Douglas MacArthur.

History

The MacArthur Maze was originally contructed as part of the construction of the Bay Bridge. It was significantly smaller in scale than today's complex, but at the time, was still an impressive interchange. There were three principal feeder routes utilizing ramps: a viaduct from the end of Cypress Street (State Highway 17) in Oakland; a viaduct from the end of 38th Street (U.S. Highway 50; 38th was subsequently re-named "MacArthur Boulevard") at San Pablo Avenue in Oakland; and the Eastshore Highway which carried U.S. Highway 40 along the shoreline of Albany, Berkeley and Emeryville.

Historic film footage of the early MacArthur Maze can be seen in the 1941 movie, Shadow of the Thin Man as Nick and Nora Charles drive off the Bay Bridge on their way to Golden Gate Fields in Albany.

Today

The MacArthur Maze is one of the busiest freeway interchange complexes in the United States since traffic going to San Francisco from all of the cities and communities on the East Bay converge into that area.

The official MacArthur Maze interchange comprises four freeway segments (i.e. there are four freeway routes into the complex):

• Interstate 80, going west across the Bay Bridge.
• Interstate 580, headed east towards eastern Alameda County.
• Interstate 80 / Interstate 580 multiplex, headed towards Berkeley and northern Contra Costa County.
• Interstate 880 going south towards southern Alameda County and San Jose.

In addition, local residents refer to the two freeway interchanges less than a mile away as part of the MacArthur Maze:

• The I-580 / Interstate 980 / California State Highway 24 interchange. Highway 24 brings in traffic from eastern Contra Costa County.
• The Cypress Structure Division, commonly called the "San Rafael Split," where North I-880 traffic makes a choice to go to I-80 West and the Bay Bridge or I-580 West/I-80 East towards Berkeley and Sacramento. This is where the exit from the EB Bay Bridge for I-880 South and the SB Eastshore Fwy exit for SB I-880 meet.
• The I-880 / I-980 interchange.

In addition, the Union Pacific Railroad (formerly Southern Pacific Railroad) tracks run right through the center of the MacArthur Maze. In the north the railroad tracks parallel the I-80/I-580 freeway and in the south they parallel the I-880 freeway.

Effects of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake

Portion of the collapsed Cypress Viaduct in Oakland.

During the October 17, 1989, Loma Prieta earthquake, which measured 7.1 on the Richter scale, the double-decked "Cypress Structure" on I-880 between I-80 and I-980 collapsed, crushing cars and killing 42 people. Traffic on the MacArthur Maze headed towards I-880 was re-routed to I-580 and I-980, and ramps leading to the former Cypress Structure were signed for local traffic access to Cypress Street.

The Cypress Structure was demolished soon after the earthquake, but was not rebuilt until July 1997, due to lawsuits by environmentalists and local residents. The rebuilt highway was no longer a double-decker structure. It was constructed around the outskirts of West Oakland, rather than bisecting it, as the Cypress structure did.

External links

• Traffic Camera (Windows Media format) looking north of the MacArthur Maze on I-80East/580West (right) just over the I-880 interconnect (center) (left is I-80West/580East) - from Caltrans Live Traffic Cameras
• Cypress Street Viaduct includes map of old MacArthur Maze with old U.S. Highway 40/U.S. Highway 50 designations

Maps

Official MacArthur Maze interchange

• Maps and aerial photos
  • Street map from Google Local or Yahoo! Maps
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
  • Satellite image from Google Local or Microsoft Virtual Earth

I-580 / I-980 / CA-24 interchange

• Maps and aerial photos
  • Street map from Google Local or Yahoo! Maps
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
  • Satellite image from Google Local or Microsoft Virtual Earth

I-880 / I-980 interchange

• Maps and aerial photos
  • Street map from Google Local or Yahoo! Maps
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
  • Satellite image from Google Local or Microsoft Virtual Earth

MacArthur Maze area 37.8149°N -122.2807°E

• Maps and aerial photos
  • Street map from Google Maps or Yahoo! Maps
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
  • Satellite image from Google Maps or Windows Live Local