Lane Changes May Cause Accidents During Last Phase Of Presidio Parkway Roadwork
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS) -- Major roadwork begins Saturday night just south of the Golden Gate Bridge toll plaza and some fear it may cause accidents.
It's part of the final phases in the Presidio Parkway Project. The goal over several months is to realign Highways 1 and 101, build safety shoulders, and landscape the median.
Drivers will be forced to deal with a new lane change. The last time road work changed the southbound Highway 1 turnoff there were major problems. This time, crews are changing the road and moving traffic slightly north.
On a map it looks like a fairly simple detour, but some commuters think drivers won't understand the change.
"People thinking they know where they're going, driving too fast, cutting in and out of people causes accidents," said Sandi Bacon.
Others worry about tourists.
"They're confused right off the get-go," said Chris Bellizi. "They don't know."
In May, during the last big change to this stretch of road, drivers did have accidents. That change affected the northbound lane.
The last San Francisco exit was moved 1000 feet sooner forcing drivers who missed it to drive all the way over the Golden Gate Bridge.
"People are impatient," said Johnny Gaitan. "It's just impatience… They want to get from point A to point B in less than 5 minutes."
The project manager tells KPIX 5 there are plenty of signs warning drivers of the lane changes. He does not expect the confusion that we saw back in May this time around.
The Presidio Parkway is scheduled to be finished next summer.