I-580 forms a concurrency with I-80 between Albany and Oakland, the latter of which is the location of the MacArthur Maze interchange immediately east of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge.

After joining I-80, I-580 runs directly south for several miles along the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in the segment known as the Eastshore Freeway, then enters the MacArthur Maze.

The segment between the Hoffman Split and the MacArthur Maze is a wrong-way concurrency, meaning I-580 east is signed as I-80 west, and vice versa.

I-580 provides Interstate Highway access between San Francisco and Los Angeles since I-5 runs east of the Bay Area.

[12][13] The California Highway Patrol may however temporarily lift the ban for short periods to reduce traffic congestion when major accidents occur on I-880 or I-238.

Both the FHWA and Caltrans imposed the restriction, partly because the city of Oakland already had a truck ban through the area prior to the freeway's construction.

Once a proponent of the ban when he served on the Oakland City Council in the 1990s,[14] Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley held a December 2021 virtual town hall on the issue, and asked both Caltrans and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to conduct studies on the ban.

[20][21] The eastbound express lanes stretch 12 miles (19 km) between Hacienda Drive and North Greenville Road.

The westbound express lanes extend an additional two miles (3.2 km) west to San Ramon Road/Foothill Road.

[21] As of January 2025[update], the HOT lanes' hours of operation is weekdays between 5:00 am and 8:00 pm; they are otherwise free and open to all vehicles at other times.

[citation needed] The segment which begins at the split with I-205 was constructed during the same period of time over a new right-of-way to a junction with I-5, running through some low hills on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley near the city of Patterson.

In the 1990s, the freeway segment from Castro Valley through Pleasanton was enlarged and otherwise reengineered in conjunction with the construction of the Blue Line of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART).

[25] In 2017, citing lack of interest from the Bay Area Rapid Transit District in bringing BART service east to Livermore, the Livermore City Council proposed a newly established local entity to undertake planning and construction of the extension,[26] which was also recommended by the California State Assembly Transportation Committee.

[28] The I-580 freeway in this segment was constructed starting in February 1960, adjacent to the city streets which were part of US 50 between Castro Valley and the large interchange along the eastern approach to the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge in Oakland now called the MacArthur Maze.

From the Maze to the interchange locally known as the "Hoffman Split" in Albany, just north of the Gilman Street interchange (Hoffman Boulevard was the predecessor of I-580 in this section), I-580 follows the Eastshore Freeway, a wrong-way concurrency with I-80 for its entirety: northward on the Eastshore is signed I-80 east and I-580 west; headed southward, one finds signs indicating I-80 west and I-580 east.

It replaced a number of city streets which comprised the earlier highway leading to the San Rafael Bridge, principally, Hoffman and Cutting boulevards.

Unless the existing SR 180 is renumbered, which is unlikely due to its familiarity as the road to Kings Canyon National Park, there will not be an I-180 in California.