The Bay Area's shelter-in-place began in mid-March, and as some residents return to work and businesses begin to open up, freeways have gotten busier.
Now traffic on Bay Area bridges is down about one-third.
The sparse bridge traffic during the pandemic, specifically during the second half of March and first half of April was "unprecedented," said John Goodwin, assistant director of communications with transportation commission.
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"Never seen anything like this," Goodwin said. "Of course no one else has, either. The drop in regional travel during the second half of March and first half of April is absolutely unprecedented - both for speed and depth."
Bay Area bridges saw a slight drop in traffic during the 2008 recession - but this year's drop was nothing in comparison, he said.
"The Great Recession was just a bump on a pickle compared to COVID-19," Goodwin said.
During the recession, traffic fell by about 2 percent.
At the peak of this year's shelter-in-place, traffic was cut in half.
The drop in traffic isn't just good for the Bay Area residents still spending time on the roads - but also for pollution levels in the region.
On the 10th day of sheltering in place in the Bay Area, the region saw a dramatic drop in pollution levels with single digits in the south and north bay.
The environmental impact wasn't entirely unexpected.
China saw a similar outcome when much of the country was quarantined because of the pandemic.
So when will Bay Area roads return to normal?
The answer is difficult to pinpoint -- though many stores and restaurants are beginning to open, which means more people reporting to work.
Express lane tolls on some Bay Area bridges have also resumed because of increased traffic.
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