San Francisco has a history of successfully removing harmful freeway infrastructure. The Embarcadero Freeway demolition began in 1991. The west of Market Street section of the Central Freeway was finally replaced with a modernized Octavia Blvd in 2003. This historic transformation of urban life has resulted in undeniable benefits to 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 prevents neighborhood connectivity, it reduces livability and safety, and it blocks countless City benefits like housing and green space. It is a bona fide community harm.

It has long been City policy to explore alternatives to this freeway stub, with the help of various City and State agencies. 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 and the San Francisco Planning Department to work together to explore alternatives to the Central Freeway. These alternatives should include:

1) Housing: Plan for significant amounts of new mixed land use and mixed-income housing development

2) Transportation: Plan for a modernized and safe street-level boulevard that accounts for multi-modal transportation, including public transit and separated bike paths

3) Parks: Plan for new green space at several designated sites

4) Transportation & Land Use Study: Work together to complete necessary studies that ensure a Central Freeway removal will maximize City benefits

5) Community-Led Input: Survey, engage, and collaborate with San Francisco stakeholders in good faith in order to create a plan that is reflective of San Francisco communities, and especially those communities that have been historically underserved