Ferries More Jammed Than Freeways On First Day Of Presidio Parkway Shutdown
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Ferry ridership from Larkspur to San Francisco tripled to 1,000 passengers and Friday morning was up 1,000 riders compared to a typical weekday because of the Doyle Drive construction closure south of the Golden Gate Bridge.
The road between the bridge and downtown San Francisco was closed in both directions at 10 p.m. Thursday and is scheduled to open to the public at 5 a.m. Monday.
During the closure, crews will finalize roadway connections and transfer traffic to the new permanent Presidio Parkway. The parkway features the Main Post tunnels and Battery tunnels, which are covered with landscaping to preserve the natural beauty of the Presidio.
The closure forced many North Bay commuters to find another route to work in the city or just stay home.
Golden Gate Ferry added an extra ferry from Larkspur to San Francisco Friday morning that carried 300 people, Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District spokeswoman Priya Clemens said.
"The ferries were on-schedule and have been full," Clemens said. "The 8:30 a.m. ferry was the last one with a big crush."
The 1,888 spaces in the Larkspur Ferry parking lot were filled by 8 a.m., and riders parked along the road or took the ferry shuttle bus. The first boat left Larkspur today at 5:45 a.m. and it carried 285 passengers compared to the normal 128-passenger Friday ridership.
Traffic can still travel on Highway 1 onto 19th Avenue and from Merchant Road to Lincoln Boulevard, but motorists should expect major delays.
As of early Friday afternoon, the cbsSF.com Traffic Map showed no real problems getting across the span by car but significant delays down Park Presdio onto 19th Avenue.
The public is urged to take public transportation instead of driving personal vehicles across the Golden Gate Bridge.
Golden Gate Transit will run a modified weekday service on Friday and will not operate Routes 92 and 93. Some stops will not be served during the closure over the weekend.
Golden Gate Ferry will add service throughout the weekend on the Larkspur and Sausalito routes.
Additional late night trips will run on Friday from Larkspur. Additional early morning and late night trips from Larkspur will also run on Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday and Sunday, late-night trips will also run from Sausalito. The Giants Ferry will also operate between Larkspur and AT&T Park.
