A public hearing for this project will occur at the SFMTA Board of Directors Meeting on December 3rd, 2024.
See the proposed traffic and parking modifications document for the complete description of the changes that will be considered.
The passage of San Francisco’s 2024 Proposition K (“Reserving the Upper Great Highway as Public Open Recreation Space”) permanently closes the Upper Great Highway to vehicular traffic between Lincoln Way and Sloat Boulevard. The Lincoln and Sloat Quick-Build Connections Project will revise Lincoln Way and Sloat Boulevard intersections to facilitate a full-time closure of the Great Highway as required by the passage of Proposition K.
The project will include traffic signal and traffic lane changes to redirect traffic away from the Upper Great Highway as well as full-time separated bikeway connections to Golden Gate Park (via Lincoln Way) and Lake Merced (via Sloat Boulevard). These quick-build changes will provide immediate safety and recreational benefits while there is ongoing planning and community engagement to consider potential longer-term capital changes in the area.
Background
The Upper Great Highway is a two-mile segment of the Great Highway running along Ocean Beach between Lincoln Way and Sloat Boulevard. Beginning during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Upper Great Highway was closed on weekends to become a 17-acre park as part of the Great Highway Pilot Project led by San Francisco Recreation and Parks to provide enhanced outdoor space for people walking, biking, and rolling. In June 2024, five San Francisco Board of Supervisors members submitted a ballot measure (Proposition K) asking voters to make permanent the pilot project and turn the Upper Great Highway into an oceanfront park.
Project Elements
Lincoln Way
- A barrier will direct westbound vehicles to make a right onto the Great Highway and southbound vehicles on the Great Highway to turn left onto Lincoln Way.
- Lincoln between Great Highway and Martin Luther King Jr Drive will be modified to include two right turn lanes to connect to northbound Great Highway.
- A new signal timing plan will replace the weekend closure flashing red signal to a typical red-yellow-green signal.
- A new two-way bikeway on the north side of Lincoln Way will connect to Martin Luther King Jr Drive.
- An existing Muni stop at the corner of Upper Great Highway and Lincoln Way will be relocated to the corner of Martin Luther King Jr Drive and Lincoln Way.
Sloat Boulevard
- The existing traffic signal will be placed on flashing red to allow for the vehicular U-turn movement.
- A new two-way bikeway will be installed on the south side of Sloat Boulevard and continue to Skyline Boulevard as part of the Sloat Boulevard Quick-Build Project. A one-way separated bikeway will also be installed along the north side of Sloat Boulevard between Upper and Lower Great Highway.
Longer-Term Capital Changes
The passage of Proposition K provides the potential for longer-term capital upgrades along and adjacent to the Upper Great Highway. Some changes have been planned and are in process, such as an upgrade to the signal at Great Highway and Lincoln Way. Other changes, such as landscaping, still anticipate planning, public engagement, design, and construction. The proposed quick-build project will provide improved conditions in the meantime and facilities future potential improvements.
