ORINDA, CALIFORNIA – If you often make the drive “through the tunnel” from the 925, be prepared for upcoming closures of the Caldecott tunnel in February.
The good news: these are partial closures, and they’re planning for nighttime hours.
The bad news: nighttime closures can always extend into the day if work isn’t done yet, and overnight congestion can continue into the morning commute.
It’s thus important to be aware of these dates even if you only use the tunnel during daylight hours.
Caltrans says it will temporarily close three of the Caldecott Tunnel’s four bores on different nights in February for tunnel washing, routine maintenance, and drainage cleaning. The work is weather dependent, and Caltrans says the other tunnel bores will remain open during each closure.
What is closing — and when
Here is the schedule released by Caltrans (times are overnight):
- Bore #1 (Eastbound SR-24)
- Monday, Feb. 9 and Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026: 10:00 PM to 4:30 AM
- Bore #3 (Westbound SR-24)
- Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026: 10:00 PM to 12:00 AM
- Bore #2 (Eastbound SR-24)
- Early morning Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026: 12:00 AM to 4:30 AM
- Overnight Thursday, Feb. 12 to Friday, Feb. 13, 2026: 10:00 PM to 4:30 AM
Caltrans says changeable message signs will be posted to help motorists, and drivers should expect delays and allow extra time.
The big thing to know: these are bore closures, not a full tunnel shutdown. In other words, traffic still moves through the tunnel, but with fewer lanes available than usual.
Again, though, anything that restricts traffic into the tunnel–and continue right up to the morning commute–can lead to disruption.
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If you have driven through the tunnel during or after heavy rains, you have probably noticed why drainage work matters — the Caldecott is a critical choke point for the entire Highway 24 corridor.
So it’s probably good that Caltrans is cleaning out those drains! But again, it might be disruptive. On the listed days, leave yourself some extra buffer time if you drive overnight or commute early.
Or take BART. It doesn’t use the tunnel at all!
We’ll keep you updated if the closure schedule changes–or any of these overnight closures extend into the day. Make sure to join our free 925 News newsletter so we can keep you in the loop.
