People passing through San Francisco will face another traffic test as Caltrans rolls out its latest planned weekend closure of a major artery near Golden Gate Park.
From Friday to Monday, Caltrans will close two lanes of southbound 19th Avenue from Lincoln Way to Sloat Boulevard for asphalt resurfacing work, following an initial weekend-long closure at the end of April.
The artery doubles as State Highway 1 and is a primary way for drivers to access the Golden Gate Bridge from the south.
Keep reading for what to know about the 19th Avenue closure and how it could affect your weekend.
Matt O’Donnell, a spokesperson for Caltrans, said crews will pave the southbound lanes of 19th Avenue during the 74-hour closure, after repairing northbound lanes at the end of April.
Crews will start at Lincoln Way and then head south to Sloat Boulevard by Stonestown Galleria.
O’Donnell said additional crews will be deployed this weekend to ensure maintenance is as “efficient as possible.”
One lane will remain open on 19th Avenue for public transit, emergency responders and local access. Parking on 19th Avenue will also be restricted in work zones.
“ This is a really busy area in San Francisco. There’s a lot going on,” O’Donnell said, adding that Caltrans has canvassed the area to alert residents and businesses of the upcoming work.
This weekend’s closure will start at 3 a.m. Friday, May 8, and end at 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 11.
Caltrans recommended three main alternate routes for circumventing the lane shutdowns, each using Sunset Boulevard.
“One of the things we found last time was the traffic [on Sunset] was really flowing very, very well,” O’Donnell said. “So that’s a very good way to get around the closure.”
Caltrans said the work is needed to improve driver safety, upgrade facilities to the Americans with Disabilities Act standards and extend the life of the existing pavement.
No: This weekend’s work is the second of three planned weekend closures on 19th Avenue over roughly the next month. A final closure is planned for Memorial Day weekend.
When completed, Caltrans said it will have repaved more than 18 lane miles of 19th Avenue, stretching from Lincoln Way to Holloway Avenue, by San Francisco State University.
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Director Julie Kirschbaum said in April that the agency worked with Caltrans to schedule the work over three long weekends, dramatically shortening the timeline for completion from an estimated 40 days to nine.
During the repaving work, the SFMTA is adjusting stops for the 28, 28R, 48, 66, and 91 Muni routes and said the 7, 29, L-Owl, N-Owl, N Bus, L Taraval, and N Judah may experience delays.
At the time, Kirschbaum said she expected travel to be slow on the corridor during construction.
“This is a major construction project, and it will inconvenience people who travel on 19th Avenue,” Kirschbaum said. “We know Muni riders and drivers will appreciate the smooth ride they’ll experience after the repaving work is done.”
The 19th Avenue repaving project is part of Caltrans’ “Fab 4 Rehab,” four major road rehabilitation projects in San Francisco County that are planned or currently underway.
O’Donnell said that travelers who typically use the thoroughfare to access the Golden Gate Bridge and the North Bay should “stay off of 19th Avenue, use the alternate routes.”
The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District said in April it does not anticipate major traffic impacts due to the closure, but said it will be ready to respond if the need arises.
Residents can reach out to Caltrans at the project’s hotline at 510-286-0319 to ask questions and share feedback.
KQED’s Alex Emslie and Elize Manoukian contributed to this report.
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