After 72 Years, Doyle Drive To Be Demolished
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) — Caltrans is preparing for a major road closure next weekend as Doyle Drive will be demolished in order to make way for the new Presidio Parkway.
The closure is scheduled to begin on the evening of April 27th and continue until 5 a.m. on Monday, April 30th. After the closure, traffic will be shifted onto a temporary, but seismically safe roadway according to transportation officials.
Construction on the Doyle Drive project began three years ago and consists of rebuilding viaducts and constructing new tunnels to make the approach to the Golden Gate Bridge seismically safer.
KCBS' Susan Kennedy Reports:
Caltrans spokeswoman Molly Graham said they are nearing the end of the first phase and that Friday night at 8 p.m. is the beginning of the complete shutdown.
"The Golden Gate Bridge will be open to and from 19th Avenue and Park Presidio, but we're asking people to avoid the area completely," she said.
Graham said to expect major delays and even advised drivers to go around by using the Bay Bridge or to take ferries.
If all goes well, on Monday April 30th, motorists will be driving through the new tunnel to and from the bridge, which features a moveable barrier. There's also a new "Y" intersection by the Palace of Fine Arts which will direct traffic to the Marina and straight onto Lombard.
During next weekend's closure as many as 300 workers will be doing demolition work round the clock, generating some 65,000 tons of debris during the 57 hour closure.
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