Infrastructure projects are progressing in advance of Great Highway's closure to private vehicle traffic
Traffic-signal upgrades and transit infrastructure improvements along Great Highway are progressing ahead of the upcoming spring closure of a more-than-2-mile stretch of road between Sloat Boulevard and Lincoln Way.
Local leaders and transportation officials say that new signals for vehicles and pedestrians will come online Wednesday at the intersection of Sloat and Skyline boulevards, which comes after the California Department of Transportation activated a new traffic signal at the intersection of Great Highway and Skyline Boulevard last month, according to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. Additional upgrades will be made in the coming weeks, officials say, to improve traffic flow and safety in the surrounding area. Improvements along Great Highway stem from the passage last fall of Proposition K, the local ballot measure that will close a portion of upper Great Highway this spring in favor of a car-free pedestrian walkway and, someday, a coastal park. Though Prop. K passed in November with 54.7% of the vote, precinct-, neighborhood- and district-level returns showed most voters living west of 19th Avenue voted against the measure. District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio, a sponsor of Prop. K, told The Examiner that once San Francisco received grant funding last month from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, he worked with Mayor Daniel Lurie to get the traffic signals running as quickly as possible. Local leaders say their efforts will improve bike and pedestrian access to land that will become the new Ocean Beach park, and reduce vehicle and transit delays along Lincoln Way. “Everyone can agree the west side needs better traffic flow,” Engardio said. “By replacing stop signs with traffic signals at key pain points, we can make it safer and more efficient to get people where they need to go.Local departments say they have prioritized infrastructure improvement projects around Great Highway following Prop. K’s passage. San Francisco Public Works repaved all 44 blocks of Sunset Boulevard between Golden Gate Park and Lake Merced Boulevard, while also upgrading surrounding drainage systems to minimize flooding risks. Crews installed 23 new curb ramps along sidewalks for accessibility and SFMTA built 20 bus pads, the concrete surfaces in front of bus shelters designed to support the weight of the vehicles. Once the land between Sloat Boulevard and Lincoln Way is permanently closed to vehicular traffic this spring, the SFMTA will make changes to the traffic signals and lanes in the surrounding area. Protected bikeway connections will also be built to link the former highway with Golden Gate Park and Lake Merced. Engardio told The Examiner that, just as he worked with other local leaders and officials on these traffic improvements, he would continue working to “apply this can-do spirit to projects throughout The City as we work to create our best San Francisco.” Ex // Top Stories Black mental-health program aims to bridge gaps in care OMI Family Clinic one of four local providers implementing programming, services centered on African American residents SF says celebrity chef walked away from two Union Square cafes Tyler Florence exited two city-backed Union Square cafes right before NBA All-Star weekend, according to officials, so a new baker fed pastries to visitors Why the Trump-targeted Presidio Trust was created Federal agency, facing uncertain future, founded with twin mandates: Preserve former base’s character, and protect government’s bottom line Albert Chow, president of the People of Parkside-Sunset merchants association and a supporter of recalling Engardio for his role in closing upper Great Highway to cars, said the road is “a very intimate highway that most people don’t drive unless they really live on the west side.” Chow said that while he believed improvement projects along upper Great Highway would remedy nearby traffic issues, he is worried about the effects the closure will have on Sunset Boulevard and 19th Avenue. “Either one at any point can get snarled up in traffic, whether it be because of traffic, an accident, road construction or events that happen in the sunset,” Chow said.Chow, who was also an opponent of Prop. K, said that he supported a compromise that would have alternated when the road opened and closed to vehicular traffic, rather than entirely banning it. “When the dust settles and the newness wears off on this Great Highway park, I wonder how many people will actually be using it during the weekdays, riding bikes or jogging,” he said. Heidi Moseson, a Sunset resident and vice president of Friends of Ocean Beach Park, said that she viewed the implementation of Prop. K as “a win-win” for west side residents, who will get a new park in addition to improved north-south commutes. “It’s impressive to see how quickly The City has gotten these promised traffic improvements done,” Moseson said. When she drove along Lincoln Way this past Friday, Moseson said she “could see how traffic was already moving much more smoothly.” The upper Great Highway improvements, Moseson said, are “exciting confirmation of The City delivering on its promises — commuters can get where they need to go and all San Franciscans can soon enjoy their new oceanfront park.”
Ocean Beach Great Highway Joel Engardio Golden Gate Park Ocean Beach Park Sunset District
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