Changing lanes changes traffic
April 13, 2009
 |
| Wide open: Octavia Boulevard became a ground-level street when the Central Freeway was demolished, bringing new park space and light to Hayes Valley. (Mike Koozmin/Special to The Examiner) |
SAN FRANCISCO — Altering one roadway years ago likely changed driving patterns across The City — and officials want to know how.
Octavia Boulevard was reopened as a ground-level street nearly four years ago, marking a departure from the Central Freeway, its predecessor, which cast a shadow over the Hayes Valley neighborhood for decades.
The new design, which includes a wide stretch of roadway filled with greenery, has been credited by its advocates with breathing new life into Hayes Valley. Now, transportation officials want to take an even closer look at Octavia Boulevard to see how it has affected transit, pedestrians, cyclists and automobile commutes.
“If you go from having a freeway over your head for 50 years to having a very different boulevard, you can expect some things to change, and we want to see what exactly those changes are,” said Jose Luis Moscovich, executive director of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority.
Along with analyzing the immediate area around Octavia Boulevard, the study will also gauge the broader impact of the changes, particularly regarding commuter travel within The City, he said.
“In the early ’90s, when I-280 closed, many intracity commuters changed their driving patterns,” Moscovich said. “Even when the interstate reopened, the commuters never came back. We want to see if there is a similar affect on drivers that used the Central Freeway. It could be that streets like 19th Avenue are now more burdened with drivers.”
To gauge the effects Octavia Boulevard has had, the transit authority is expected to preliminarily authorize $180,000 on Tuesday for a study.
The report, which is expected to take about a year to complete, will evaluate the new Octavia Boulevard to see if any adjustments should be made around the area, such as the possible repositioning of nearby transit routes, Moscovich said.
“When Octavia Boulevard was being built, there was a big rush to get the bricks and mortar completed,” Moscovich said. The study will be a chance to look back and “reflect and see if any new circulation patterns have developed as a result of the changes.”
Moscovich said the study will also look into possible changes to pedestrian and bicycle pathways at Octavia Boulevard, especially at the Market Street intersection, a confluence that has been dangerous in the past.
Funding for the study will come from local tax revenue and regional transportation grants, according to Transportation Agency documents. CHS Consulting, a local transportation and engineering firm, will conduct the analysis.
The Central Freeway was originally built in 1959 and connected Interstate 80 and Highway 101 north to Turk Street, but it was badly damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. City residents opted not to rebuild it, and in 1992 Caltrans removed the freeway section north of Market Street.
Re-examining Octavia Boulevard
Highlights of what a study will look at along the new corridor:
Traffic, including circulation
Pedestrian and bicycle planning
Street design
Street-network design
Land use
Transportation planning coordination
Source: San Francisco County Transportation Authority
