San Francisco, CA
San Francisco to vote on the future of the Great Highway: oceanfront park or thoroughfare
There is a debate over the future of San Francisco’s Great Highway: Supporters of Prop K call it a once-in-a-generation chance for a new oceanfront park, and critics say it is a traffic debacle in the making.
If approved, Proposition K would turn a two-mile stretch of the Upper Great Highway into an open space. That would permanently open the roadway up to cyclists and joggers, like it currently is on the weekends, and weekday traffic would get shifted to other streets.
It’s a debate that goes back to the highway’s closure during the pandemic, and it has divided a neighborhood ahead of a vote by the entire city.
“I came here three years ago,” said Grace Princen “So, during COVID. And they had just started opening up the highway.”
Grace Princen is a Sunset resident, a park volunteer, and a supporter of the plan to permanently close this stretch of the Great Highway
“It’s just really great,” Princen said. “There’s so many people who come out, even if it’s not sunny, even if it’s really foggy or bad weather. There’s always a ton of people here on the weekends.”
“The work we’re beginning today over the next few months is a great start,” said Jane Lew of the “Yes on K” Campaign. “But for it to have maximum impact, we need to pass Proposition K.”
Prop K would close the highway from Sloat to Lincoln. And the way supporters describe it, it’s really not much of a choice.
“The southern part of the highway is already falling into the ocean because of coastal erosion,” said Supervisor Joel Engardio. “So, that’s the lemon. The lemonade is what we’re trying to fix and create here by creating this park.”
“I’ve lived here for 47 years,” said Sunset resident Joe Wiegand. “My first job was working at Playland at the Beach back in 1963.”
Wiegand has spent most of his life living right on the Great Highway. He wants it to remain just that.
“Just says open the Great Highway,” Wiegand said. “This one is ‘No, On K.’”
And like most opponents, the reason is this.
“Well mainly the traffic,” Wiegand explained. “All those cars that are out there there isn’t any other way to get from the Richmond District south of here or for that matter to go north. So that traffic has to go up to 19th Avenue or Sunset, if it just wanted to be on this side.”
“Are we going to be in a situation where people can just say, ‘Well’ let’s close this street,” said John Trasvina with the “No on K” Campaign. “Let’s close Dublin or Persia or Mission Street for whatever reason. We can’t do these things by putting them on the ballot and have everybody vote. That’s why we have supervisors.”
Opponents said the measure sets a bad precedent for closing park-adjacent streets. And there’s frustration that what they feel is very much a neighborhood issue has been handed to voters across San Francisco.
“Having it put on the city ballot was a way for Joel Engardio, our supervisor, to dilute our intense voices because we live there,” complained Albert Chow. “We know what the dynamics are.”
“So, it’s a mixed bag,” Engardio said of the dispute. “There are people who are against it, There are people who want it. And that’s why it’s on the ballot. Because this is not going to go away, this contentious issue, and we need everyone to have a say.”
Supervisor Engardio, who has been threatened with a recall over the issue, said improvements on streets like Sunset Avenue can accommodate the traffic changes.
“I’ve seen the plans for how they’re gonna reroute traffic, and I just don’t think there’s going to be a huge impact on people who are driving through this area,” Princen said. “Especially because the upper part of Sloat is being closed.”
How it would impact traffic, the amount of recreation the park might see on a weekdays: It is a divide people can see in the windows along the Great Highway, or what may soon become the city’s newest park.
“We’ll just have to wait and see what happens,” Wiegand said.
Pop K has the backing of a list of environmental groups, seven of the city’s supervisors, and a giant snowy plover.
So, some of the opponents in the neighborhood said it can feel a bit like them against the world.
A “yes” vote would only designate the area as a park. Any redesign or physical transformation would all have to start from scratch, some time following an approval by the voters.
After Sunday’s 3-0 loss to the Washington Nationals, the San Francisco Giants headed back to the West Coast. They’re going back to the Bay Area, too.
The Giants have a date with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a three-game series at Oracle Park starting Tuesday night.
Advertisement
So, San Francisco probably wanted to get out of Washington, D.C., with a win. That didn’t happen at Nationals Park on Sunday afternoon.
Nationals reliever Andrew Alvarez, the third pitcher used by the team on Sunday, picked up the victory with 4 1/3 innings of work. Giants starter Robbie Ray absorbed the loss, falling to 2-3 this season.
Ray worked six innings, giving up seven hits, three runs (all earned), walking one, and striking out seven Nationals. If the Giants’ offense had found a way to tack on some runs, then Ray’s outing wouldn’t have looked so bad.
The Giants’ bats, though, had eight hits. The big number for Giants manager Tony Vitello to look at in the box score after this one was, well, pretty big. San Francisco left 10 runners on base on Sunday, going 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. This indicates that San Francisco had plenty of opportunities to score some runs.
Advertisement
They just didn’t get the job done.
Let’s go to the bottom of the fifth with the Giants and Nationals in a scoreless tie. With nobody out, the Nationals’ Keibert Ruiz connected for his third double this season. Nasim Nuñez scored to put Washington up 1-0.
With one out, Curtis Mead sent a Ray pitch over the left-field wall, a two-run blast that gave the Nationals a 3-0 lead.
San Francisco had a scoring threat in the top of the eighth inning. With runners at first and second base and nobody out, Casey Schmitt grounded into a double play. Matt Chapman, who was on second base, went to third. But the Giants were unable to bring him home.
Advertisement
Rafael Devers and Drew Gilbert went 2-for-4 at the plate for the Giants, producing half of the Giants’ hits.
The Giants fall to 9-13 this season, sitting in fourth place in the National League West Division. The Nationals’ record goes to 10-12, good enough for third place in the National League East Division.
All eyes now turn toward Oracle on Tuesday night. It’ll be a chance for two longtime rivals to renew their rivalry.
Baseball fans know that the Giants-Dodgers matchups usually are must-see TV.
That’s probably going to be the case once again as Giants fans watch their team battle the Dodgers. Those lucky to have tickets to the three-game series at Oracle Park will show up in Giants colors, hoping to see Los Angeles head back to Southern California with either a series loss or a Giants’ sweep.
Advertisement
Buckle up, Giants fans. It’s about to get rowdy at Oracle Park.
Don’t miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news!
It’s completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!
The 4,140-sq-km bay is the largest estuary on the west coast of the US. Before 2018, this species of whales wasn’t known to stop seasonally or consistently in the bay, bypassing it on their migration route down to Baja California and back up the Arctic, said Josephine Slaathaug, who led a recent study on gray whale mortality in the bay.
One of San Francisco’s busiest freeways remained shut down Saturday, creating major traffic delays and dampening business for some local restaurants and shops.
All eastbound lanes of Interstate 80 just before the Bay Bridge are closed as crews work around the clock to rehabilitate the roadway. The 55-hour shutdown, which began on Friday night, is scheduled to last until Monday morning in time for the commute.
The closure has forced drivers onto detour routes, leading to heavy congestion for those trying to reach the East Bay, including Oakland and Berkeley.
The impact is being felt beyond the roadways.
At MoMo’s, a restaurant across from Oracle Park, staff found business noticeably slower.
“A little bit more mellow than usual. We usually see a little bit more foot traffic, a little bit more people on Saturdays,” said Daniel Bermudez, executive chef at MoMo’s.
Bermudez believes the freeway closure may be discouraging visitors from coming into the city this weekend, despite favorable weather.
“The weather is beautiful today. It’s nice and sunny. So we have plenty of tables outside,” he said.
With the San Francisco Giants playing an away game, the restaurant had hoped fans would still gather to watch, but turnout during game time remained light.
“This is kind of like our off-season Saturday. A lot slower than our baseball weekend,” said Casandra Alarcon, general manager at MoMo’s.
Other small businesses in the Mission Bay and South of Market neighborhoods reported similar trends, saying most of their customers are regulars who live nearby rather than visitors.
“A little bit slower for sure. Before, we had tourists come and walk to the baseball park,” said Ajaree Safron, manager at Brickhouse Cafe & Bar.
Caltrans has shut down eastbound lanes between 17th and 4th streets to repave the 71-year-old roadway. The goal is to extend the life of the Bayshore Freeway by another decade.
City and transportation officials said the timing of the closure was intentional, noting fewer major events scheduled in San Francisco this weekend, aside from the Cherry Blossom Festival.
Westbound lanes remain open, and officials said traffic heading into San Francisco from the East Bay has not been significantly affected.
“Getting into the city, it wasn’t too bad. Regular [traffic], what we expect on a Saturday morning,” said visitor Andrea Inouye.
While the closure has posed challenges for businesses, some workers said they are taking it in stride.
“Hopefully, it’s not for too long and we get past it, and get back to our normal routine,” Bermudez said.
Despite early concerns about widespread gridlock, transportation officials said the region has avoided the worst-case scenario. Traffic remains heavy in areas near detours, but the anticipated “carmageddon” has not materialized, in part because many drivers chose to avoid the area or take public transit.
-
Indianapolis, IN3 minutes agoLouisville native set to make debut in Indianapolis 500
-
Pittsburg, PA9 minutes agoPittsburgh’s new 2026 budget is approved, with nearly $30 million in realigned expenses
-
Augusta, GA15 minutes agoGolden Harvest hosting 15th Annual Georgia Legal Food Frenzy
-
Washington, D.C21 minutes ago
Duffy touts air traffic controller applications amid push to recruit gamers
-
Cleveland, OH27 minutes agoRabbi Leibel Alevsky, 86, AH | Anash.org
-
Austin, TX33 minutes agoAthena the owl: 2nd owlet discovered to be alive
-
Alabama39 minutes agoAlabama juvenile is charged with murder of missing 10-year-old girl found dead at a home
-
Alaska45 minutes agoU.S. Coast Guard announces homeporting of the first two Arctic Security Cutters in Alaska
