Great Highway in San Francisco officially closed to vehicular traffic
Park rangers closed the gate to traffic on the Great Highway on Friday morning and park supporters hope they don't open again.
At 5 a.m. Friday morning, San Francisco park rangers closed the gate to the Great Highway for what may be the last time. Voters in November approved Proposition K, aimed at transforming two miles of the Great Highway into a park.
With the closure of the gates, that park is one step closer to reality.
"It's something that's going to take a lot of work to get to the future park that we all dream of," said park supporter, Lucas Lux. "But, today is day one, and we should be proud of that."
Opponents to the park say they've filed a lawsuit aimed at blocking it, saying park supporters overstepped the authority of the state to determine how roads are used, and say the park plans don't address environmental concerns.
Plaintiff Matt Boschetto said today's closure won't stop efforts to block the park.
"It's certainly long from over," said Boschetto. "Again, I think we have a great case, and hopefully we see it through court and get justice served there."
By midday Friday afternoon, work was already underway on Lincoln and the Great Highway, where SFMTA crews were busy re-striping the road and installing signs saying the Great Highway was closed. The Recreation and Parks Department said plans are underway to begin work to open the park next month.
"Rec and Parks will be adding seating, recreation areas," said Tamara Barak Aparton from the Recreation and Parks Department. "Signage. All the things that parks need."
On the first day of the closure, pedestrians began walking up and down the highway. Paul Greer said he enjoyed his stroll and is looking forward to the park officially opening.
"It's a safe place to take your family," said Greer. "I'm thrilled about it. I can't wait to enjoy it for many more hours to take the kids out. I have a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old and I think it's going to be great for the community."
Stephen Gorski lives across the street from the proposed park, and is among those calling for the recall of District Supervisor Joel Engardio over his support of it.
He said the park will push more traffic into the neighborhood, and is out of step with what people on the west side want.
"People on the other side of town don't realize the impact here," said Gorski. "How would you like it if we just decided to close a major thoroughfare? Like Lombard, say 'no, no, we're just going to close this now, figure it out.' It's the same thing. If they can do it here, they can do it anywhere."
For now, lawsuit withstanding, the Rec and Parks department is looking to have a ribbon cutting for the park in mid-April.
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San Francisco report details traffic patterns after closure of Upper Great Highway
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This event delivered big when S.F. needed a win in 2023. Organizers canceled it for 2025
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Arellano also called the recall effort 'GOP-backed,' pointing to an email sent out by the San Francisco Republican Party this week that encouraged followers to join Saturday's rally. Jamie Hughes, one of the lead organizers for the recall, said that the effort includes 'everybody from every ideology' and that the group tries 'to stay away from labels.' Hughes is an ally of former progressive San Francisco Board of Supervisors president Aaron Peskin. He said the recall campaign isn't coordinating with the Republican Party and argued that GOP support shows that the recall is drawing people from all sides of the political spectrum. That's because, in his words, 'Joel messed up.' Recall proponents said the recall isn't only about the Great Highway, but how Engardio's behavior during the past year showed what they consider to be a lack of transparency, accountability and representation. John Higgins, a Sunset resident, said he never even used the Great Highway and is not looking to reopen it, but he felt Engardio lied about his stance. He pointed to how Engardio, alongside four other city supervisors, submitted a proposal to place Proposition K on the ballot on June 18, 2024, the last possible day for them to do so. 'These are shady methods,' Higgins said. Many recall proponents said they were taken by surprise, only learning about Engardio's proposal through news articles, and were upset that Engardio never held town halls prior to placing the issue on the ballot. Many said they thought Engardio had lied to them because, in 2022, while campaigning against then-incumbent District 4 supervisor Gordon Mar, he had said he supported what was then the status quo of pedestrianizing the highway on weekends only. 'Had he told this district when he was running for supervisor that he was going to close down the Great Highway 24/7, he would never have been elected,' Chen said. 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'Everything he's done has been underhanded,' Gene Pulliam, who's lived in the Sunset for 60 years, said to Chu. 'He put the paperwork in the last week or something. That's just wrong.'
