Pothole closes lanes on I-680 near Fremont, traffic jammed for hours

FREMONT, Calif. - Drivers on I-680 in Fremont saw a slow commute Wednesday evening as Caltrans crews worked to repair a large pothole in a northbound lane. 

The pothole was in the right lane on the freeway near North Mission Boulevard and Via San Gabriel.  

Caltrans said around 5:38 p.m. that the pothole was fixed though crews were still working to reopen all lanes.

Drivers experienced delays on on-ramps and Mission Boulevard.

Only one center lane on the freeway was open around 3:20 p.m., police said.

"I just came from San Jose. I got on the road around 3:30. It’s like 5:45 now. It’s crazy," said a driver while sitting in traffic.  

Traffic was diverted to Niles Canyon Road and north from I-880 to I-238 and I-580 in Hayward.

KTVU's live traffic map showed heavy traffic in the area.

"It’s really bad. I’ve been driving for like two hours and I have my boss here on the phone because this sucks. I want to go home," said Ethan, a driver on I-680. 

Some drivers tried to get off the freeway and find an alternative route, but those roads were also jammed. One man says he was driving from San Jose to Livermore and had no choice but to wait for the traffic to lighten up. 

"So, 30 miles and 2 ½ hours. It’s great," said Ethan sarcastically. 

Caltrans initially anticipated repairs would last until after midnight, but around 6:30 p.m., the agency posted on social media that all lanes had been reopened. 

Still, the heavy traffic remained, and one driver said he decided to get off the freeway at Mission on his way to Union City.    

"I was coming from San Jose, and I was stuck in traffic for like an hour. Yeah, it’s just terrible. I still have some more to go," said Victor Diaz.