San Francisco’s Unbuilt Freeway Network Revisited
Some of San Francisco’s unbuilt freewaysHunter College student and photographer Andrew Lynch recently posted Google Map mashups of the unbuilt freeways that made up many of the master plans in cities around the country in the 1950s and 1960s. San Francisco, New York City, and Boston avoided the worst of automobility, while the map of Los Angeles freeways was pretty well paved.
The maps are a stark reminder of how devastating the plans would have been to San Francisco’s livability had the public not revolted against the master planners. I’d currently be huffing fumes from the Mission/Bernal Heights freeway, there’d be no Panhandle, and North Beach and the Marina would likely have much lower property values. But you can imagine the pleasure of motoring past Ocean Beach at 70 mph without forced stops at traffic signals!
Alternately, can anyone tell me why the upper portion of Market Street where it becomes Portola Drive still has elevated segments? I would think the value of new development with those views would have trumped the convenience of speeding through that neighborhood with limited stop lights.
Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.
More from Streetsblog San Francisco
Driver Runs Red, Hits Cyclist, Speeds Off
Friday Video(s): Kidical Mass, Night-Biking in Tokyo, and More
Mayor Gloria’s Budget Has Deep Cuts for Safety and Bicycle Program for the San Diego Department of Transportation
Gloria when running for re-election in 2024, "Even in a difficult budget year we still put good money towards our Vision Zero plans.” Gloria's 2026 budget: Elimination of funding for the multi-modal team at SDDOT.
The post Mayor Gloria’s Budget Has Deep Cuts for Safety and Bicycle Program for the San Diego Department of Transportation appeared first on Streetsblog California.
