A project to fully repave all lanes of 19th Avenue in San Francisco began Friday with a three-day closure expected to impact traffic during the weekend.

The beginning of the second phase of the project closed about 2 miles of the thoroughfare’s northbound lanes from Sloat Boulevard to Lincoln Way. The closure began 7 a.m. Friday and will conclude Monday at 5 a.m, according to Caltrans.

Caltrans recommends that motorists take alternate routes including Sunset Boulevard, Sloat Boulevard, Lincoln Way, Brotherhood Way, Lake Merced Boulevard, Junipero Serra Boulevard, and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

As workers repave, one lane will remain open for public transit, emergency responders, and local access. The project also involves upgrades to traffic detection systems, according to Caltrans.

Parking on northbound 19th Avenue will be restricted and drivers should park on side streets. There will also be delays for cars trying to drive across intersections with 19th Avenue.

10 days of closures planned

This weekend’s closure is the first of three, totaling 10 days of closures.

The next full weekend closure will close the southbound lanes of 19th Avenue between Sloat Boulevard and Lincoln Way from May 8-11. The last weekend closure will close both south and northbound lanes between Sloat Boulevard and Holloway Avenue from May 22-25.

The first phase of the project involved repaving parking strips on 19th Avenue and finished earlier this year.

“Our goal is simple: get this done faster, do it safely, and make sure residents can get where they need to go with as little disruption as possible.”
Supervisor Alan Wong

The driving lane closures were originally planned to span a total of 40 days, but Supervisor Alan Wong said he worked with Caltrans and Mayor Daniel Lurie to push for a reduced construction timeline. Wong represents District 4 in the Sunset District where 19th Avenue runs through.

“That makes a major difference for our community,” Wong said in a statement. “It means fewer disruptions during the workweek, less impact on school drop-offs and pickups, and less stress for people trying to get to work, run errands, or simply get home.”

Later in the summer, an additional closure is scheduled to repave the intersection of California Street and Park Presidio Boulevard on the north side of Golden Gate Park.

“Our goal is simple: get this done faster, do it safely, and make sure residents can get where they need to go with as little disruption as possible,” Wong said.

Alise is a general assignment reporter with a focus on covering government, elections, housing, crime, courts and entertainment in San Francisco and on the Peninsula. Alise is a Bay Area native from San Carlos. She studied history at University of California, Santa Cruz and first started journalism at Skyline College’s school newspaper in San Bruno. She has interned for Bay City News and for Eesti Rahvusringhääling, or Estonian Public Broadcasting. She has covered everything from the removal of former San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus to the divisive battle over the Great Highway on San Francisco’s west side. Please send her any tips.