It's Time for a Central Freeway Alternative

Caltrans, San Francisco Department of Planning, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority, San Francisco County Transportation Authority, San Francisco Board of Supervisors

San Francisco has a history of successfully removing harmful freeway infrastructure. The Embarcadero Freeway demolition began in 1991. In 2003, the west of Market Street section of the Central Freeway was finally replaced with a modernized Octavia Blvd. That historic transformation of urban life has resulted in undeniable benefits, such as improved walkability and bikability, new housing and green space, and an overall vibrancy for residents, workers, and visitors of San Francisco.

However, there's still much work to do. The last remaining one-mile-long section of the Central Freeway, which currently looms over 13th and Division Streets, continues to corrode the SoMa and Mission Districts. It impedes neighborhood connectivity, reduces livability and safety, and blocks countless City benefits, such as housing and green space. It is a bona fide community harm.

It has long been City policy, with the help of various City and State agencies, to explore alternatives to this stub freeway. However, we have yet to take the steps necessary to fulfill this policy recommendation.

The time to take action is now.

We are calling on Caltrans, the San Francisco City Planning Department, the SF Board of Supervisors, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), and the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) to lead the grant application and planning studies to explore alternatives to the Central Freeway. These alternatives should include:

1) Housing: Land use studies that will protect existing housing and add significant amounts of new mixed land use to provide affordable and mixed-income housing development.
2) Transportation: Traffic studies and plans for safe and pedestrian-friendly multi-modal transportation, including public transit and separated bike paths that connect different neighborhoods around the Central Freeway.
3) Parks & Green Infrastructure: Plan for new green space and green infrastructure that elevates quality of life, mitigates flooding, and builds in climate adaptation and resilience.
4) Community-led Input: Survey, engage, and collaborate with San Francisco stakeholders in good faith to create a plan that fosters equitable development inclusive of cultural, public health, workforce, and economic opportunity, especially those communities that have been historically underserved.



ADDITIONAL SPONSORS




   

Sponsored by
Vision-blvd-logo6
Vision Blvd
San Francisco, CA
Additional Sponsors
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Urban Environmentalists
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Streets for People
San Francisco, CA
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Kid Safe SF
San Francisco, CA

To: Caltrans, San Francisco Department of Planning, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority, San Francisco County Transportation Authority, San Francisco Board of Supervisors
From: [Your Name]

Dear Caltrans, the San Francisco Planning Department, the SF Board of
Supervisors, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), and the San
Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA),

We are calling on you to lead a grant application and planning studies to explore alternatives to the Central Freeway. These alternatives should include:

1) Housing: Land use studies that will protect existing housing and add significant
amounts of new mixed land use to provide affordable and mixed-income housing
development.

2) Transportation: Traffic studies and plans for safe and pedestrian-friendly and multi-modal transportation, including public transit and separated bike paths that
connect different neighborhoods around the Central Freeway.

3) Parks & Green Infrastructure: Plan for new green space and green infrastructure
that elevates quality of life, mitigates flooding, and builds in climate adaptation and
resilience.

4) Community-led Input: Survey, engage, and collaborate with San Francisco
stakeholders in good faith to create a plan that fosters equitable development
inclusive of cultural, public health, workforce, and economic opportunity, especially
those communities that have been historically underserved.

Signed,

Vision Blvd and Its Supporters