Out of the Shadows

Nearly five years after voters approved a ballot measure to replace a portion of San Francisco’s Central Freeway with a boulevard, and a half century after that very freeway sparked a revolt on freeway construction, the freeway closed. It now awaits demolition.

Hundreds of San Franciscans gathered for a party under the freeway on March 30, to renounce the idea that suburban convenience should come at the expense of city residents. Hundreds more came prepared to learn about traffic alternatives that will replace the busy route in the four years it will take to change the concrete hulk into an attractive boulevard.

San Franciscans can now add the Central Freeway to a growing list of highway superstructures that were, and add Hayes Valley to the list of neighborhoods restored when the imposing structures were removed.

“This is the very freeway that sparked the San Francisco freeway revolts of the 1950s and ‘60s,” said architect and neighborhood advocate Robin Levitt. “This is the end of that freeway revolt--it’s like a book end.”

Levitt and others have spent years of their lives working through an agonizing process to have the freeway removed. “It’s the end of the campaign for me,” said Levitt, who added that he plans to rest after helping lead moves for several voter propositions on the issue.

For a while, it didn’t appear the freeway would be removed at all. Proposition E--the voter approved-measure to remove the freeway--passed in 1998 to replace proposition H, which voters earlier passed to allow the freeway to be widened and retrofitted. Proposition E was passed as Caltrans was retrofitting the structure, which the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake had damaged.

Visitors to a display of renderings were haunted by a map of freeways that would never be. Crisscrossing the city, the Central Freeway was one of the few actually built. The Central Freeway was originally planned to extend through the Golden Gate Park Panhandle to Park Presidio, finally connecting to the Golden Gate Bridge.

The neighborhoods in the shadow of the freeway have cause to believe the demolition will breed improvements. Following the 1989 quake, the Gough and Franklin Street ramps were removed. Almost immediately the neighborhood began to breathe, with additional merchants coming in to take advantage of increased sidewalk traffic.

Prop. E, which called for replacing a portion of the freeway between Market Street and Fell Street with a boulevard, was long before proposed by a task force called for by then-Mayor Frank Jordan. But inaction on the part of Caltrans led voters initially to call for rebuilding the freeway.

“Caltrans from day one wanted to retrofit the freeway and never cooperated with the task force,” Levitt said recalling the days when the battle for his neighborhood would take over much of his life.

Hayes Valley proves the point, but a much more obvious example is along the city’s waterfront. After another protracted battle, Caltrans was forced to demolish the elevated Embarcaderro freeway in 1991. Since then, the area has become a premier destination for visitors and residents. With an extension of the historic streetcar line--the Market Street Railway--extending to Fisherman’s Wharf, and new landscaping in place, the formerly empty sidewalks are filled with joggers, strollers, and skaters enjoying the once-hidden beauty of San Francisco’s waterfront. New corporate headquarters and retail and residential edifices have sprung up along the now palm-lined thoroughfare, and the restored landmark Ferry Building is set to open soon, featuring retail shops and a produce market.

Before the Embarcadero Freeway was removed, traffic planners had forecast “traffic nightmares,” but they never seemed to materialize. Similar back-ups were predicted when the off-ramps were removed, and are predicted for when the current freeway is cut short. In addition, cries are being heard that construction on the former freeway site will create a shortage of parking in the Civic Center, the site of the recently relocated Asian Art Museum.

After the freeway’s removal, it will be replaced by Octavia Boulevard. The boulevard will consist of four through lanes and four local lanes, including room for parking. A landscaped median will be centered between the through lanes, and other barriers will divide the through lanes from the local lanes. Advocates say the boulevard will also allow for improved auto access to Franklin and Gough Streets as well as Fell and Oak Streets, further dispersing traffic.

Housing and other structures will be built on parcels previously occupied by the freeway, increasing pedestrian activity and stimulating sidewalk storefront retail business.

While traditionally state departments of transportation seek to keep traffic moving through town, the efficient movement of autos came with a price to those living in town. In San Francisco it is becoming increasingly difficult to argue that freeway removal doesn’t lead to urban revitalization and economic prosperity. Urban progressives are today calling on transportation planners to consider the efficient movement of people, rather than "cars," by accommodating pedestrians and transit riders as well as motorists.

After a long battle, a cause for real celebration has arrived. The freeway is closed, and demolition is set to put the final seal on its fate. The time spent under the freeway's shadow has run its course, and the celebrating residents are awaiting the day when sun shines on their neighborhood again.

“This is the little piece of freeway that got everyone upset and now it’s coming down,” Levitt said.” Now I can go on with life without thinking about this anymore.”

Eric Miller