Thursday marked the last full day that vehicles were allowed to drive on San Francisco’s Upper Great Highway. The road will permanently close to traffic at 5 a.m. Friday in the first major step of creating an oceanfront park authorized by voters in November.
The 2-mile long, 43-acre park will stretch from Lincoln Way to Sloat Boulevard and will feature lookout points, art installations, and space for recreation and performances.
The closure, the result of Proposition K being passed by the city’s voters in November’s election, will also see the end of vehicle traffic on southbound lanes of the Great Highway extension from Sloat to Skyline boulevards.
Work by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will begin Friday on traffic improvements at key intersections, including installing traffic signals, paving work, and creating pedestrian and bike lanes that lead to the new park.
The park’s interim name is Ocean Beach Park, but the public will get to contribute ideas to the permanent name in an online submission process.
A public online forum on Tuesday at 6 p.m. will be held to get public feedback on submissions before a formal selection process is held between March 20 and April 2 that will also take public feedback through an online survey.
The park’s creation also involves securing sand dunes and fortifying them with native grasses, which is being done in phases. Fencing has been installed around sensitive habitat and beach access will be guided by trails, according to the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department.
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission will conduct its annual fortification of the dunes from this coming Monday through April 9, protecting against erosion, sea level rise and storm impacts.
The park is scheduled to fully open on April 12 after signage and other final touches are completed.
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