This Saturday and Sunday from 5:30am to 11:30am marks the first of several closures of Doyle Drive that will take place over the next several weekends. The closures are required to conduct tree removal in preparation for the initial construction of the Doyle Drive Replacement Project.
Doyle Drive is the portion of Highway 101 that connects the Golden Gate Bridge with the Marina District and Crissy Field; it basically runs parallel to Crissy. During the closures, Doyle Drive will be completely closed to traffic. The closures will take place Saturdays and Sundays, from 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., on the following dates:
Aug. 22 and Aug. 23
Sept. 12 and Sept. 13
Sept. 19 and Sept. 20
Sept. 26 and Sept. 27
Note that the Park Presidio/19th Avenue route from the Richmond onto the Golden Gate Bridge will still be open. As you head towards the bridge, the right hand exit ramp to Doyle Drive will be closed. And as you enter the city from the bridge, the lanes off to the left onto Doyle Drive will be blocked off.
If you are planning a trip to that part of the city from the Richmond, plan on taking Geary, California or another major thoroughfare.
According to the SFMTA project site for the Doyle Drive Replacment Project, the span is being rebuilt to address a number of concerns about the aging, 1.5 mile span:
Constructed almost 60 years ago to provide direct access to the Golden Gate Bridge, Doyle Drive has deteriorated structurally and cannot accommodate the existing traffic volume. The problems include: Lanes that are too narrow by 2 to 3 feet, lack of a barrier separating opposing traffic flows, lack of shoulders for use by disabled vehicles, maintenance crews, and emergency and enforcement vehicles. As of 1992, Doyle Drive was experiencing almost three times the normal number of accidents for a facility of its type. In addition, the effects of heavy traffic and exposure to salt air have significantly deteriorated the structures that support the elevated roadway. Maintenance and seismic retrofit measures may add a few years to its service life. However, with the current situation, Doyle Drive may be vulnerable to earthquake damage.
Construction for the project is slated to begin this Fall, with completion planned for 2013 at an estimated cost of $1.05 billion. Once completed, the span will be renamed “Presidio Parkway”.
A simulation of the new Park Presidio Parkway, due for completion in 2013
In a recent public meeting about the project, there was intense concern about the planned closures of Doyle Drive during the major phases of construction.
At that meeting, the project director for the California Department of Transportation outlined a plan to close the ramp from northbound Park Presidio to southbound Doyle Drive before the end of this year, and keep it closed for up to 18 months. This would mean that the usual 5 minute drive from the Richmond to the Marina District and Crissy Field would no longer be available.
In addition, the ramp from northbound Doyle Drive to southbound Park Presidio will be closed around the same time, and remain closed for the duration of the project. This is the small offramp/turn that you see just before getting to the bridge. Again, an incredibly fast, convenient way to get from the Marina area to the Richmond that would be closed off for up to three years.
Golden Gate Bridge authorities expect a significant loss of revenue from the lengthy closures as frustrated drivers from both ends will likely avoid the extra hassle of trying to reach the bridge during the three year project. Read more about the controversy at kcbs.com
For more information on the Doyle Drive Reconstruction Project, visit http://doyledrive.org.
Sarah B.
An aerial simulation showing the new Presidio Parkway:
Thanks for this article. The Bay Bridge closure is getting a lot of media play but the Doyle Drive project is not getting any attention. When I last checked Caltrans still has not filed an official plan to handle to detours. 25th Avenue certainly seems on tap to bear the brunt of the traffic through the Presidio. Good time to take the bike or run on one of the many trails in the Presidio and avoid this madness!
How will this project impact the Presidio over the long term? For example, is Girard going to get an off-ramp and see a lot more traffic in the future?
@Dale – There’s a lot of documentation on http://doyledrive.org; I haven’t gone through all of it. I’m not sure if any new exits or on-ramps will be created along the route.
This high quality drawing is a nice, overall look at the roadway:
http://doyledrive.org/images/press_center/2_presidio_parkway_aerial_hires.jpg
More drawings and simulations on this page:
http://doyledrive.org/contact/press_center.aspx
This is inexcusable. The Doyle Drive closure should have been advertised on BIG SIGNS WELL IN ADVANCE ! Do it NOW, and with CLARITY. These closures are just as serious as the ones for the Bay Bridge. And the signs need to be all over the city, down onto 280, and all the way up to San Rafael in Marin on 101, or even further north, as well as on 80 and 880, where drivers are directed to head to the GGB.. There are thousands and thousands of drivers who go to work across the bay, kids who go to school across the bay… in both directions….this is craaaaazy.
HUGE number s of commuters will be affected by this, and also weekend drivers heading to and from the beaches and wine country and so forth.
There is also absolutely no explanation of what routes to take as detours when these things are closed. I think that Seacliff, West Clay Park and the Presidio and Ocean Beach will be JAMMED with lots of extra traffic during normal high-traffic periods. Drivers will not only be delayed by this congestion, but also by having to drive way out of their way, and on small local roads.
Not enough help is being given to the usual users of Doyle Drive. The stuff is buried on a web-site with maps and a power-point presentation that needs to be googled and scrolled through- that is NOT transparency- sorry. I amy have done it, but it is pretty confusing stuff.
WHERE ARE THE SIGNS? WHERE ARE THE MAPS and EXPLANATIONS (and forums!) in the SF Chronicle and the SF Examiner?????????
Yes, jch, all very good points. I think because they are getting stimulus funds NOW, ahead of their original schedule, they are rushing to start the job and skipping a lot of the vital communication with the community and proper long-term planning for the closures.
Sarah B.