Great Highway Closure Sparks Opposition From Residents
By Karim Farahat
During the last general election, San Franciscans voted in favor of Proposition K, an ordinance that would permanently close the Great Highway to traffic. This proposition has been extremely controversial and has faced resistance from Sunset residents. The last day that the Highway was open to traffic was March 13, with the park set to officially open on April 12.
Prior to the closure, the Great Highway was open to traffic on weekdays before closing on Fridays before noon. I find this to be a great compromise. It accommodates traffic during the week when there are more cars, while promoting beach access and recreation on weekends.
The concern among Sunset businesses and residents is that the closure of the Highway will push traffic onto adjacent streets, resulting in increased accidents and noise in the neighborhood. Ramon J. Ruiz, who lives a block away from the beach said, “47th Avenue becomes the Great Highway.”
There is also frustration among Great Highway commuters who are now forced onto the already busy Sunset Boulevard or 19th Avenue to cross the Sunset, exacerbating the traffic delays. “It is an iconic drive” and a “Unique piece of road,” said Chip King.
While the project promises to save taxpayer money by reducing costs of sand removal, locals fear that turning the highway into a public space will incur additional maintenance costs over time. The combined factors of no passing cars, people busy at school and work, and many foggy days in the Sunset will result in the area remaining largely unused. The desolate highway could leave Ocean Beach vulnerable to more homeless people seeking refuge in the dunes or an increase in accumulated litter.
Federal employees responsible for maintaining the two-and-a-half-mile stretch of beach have insufficient resources to collect litter periodically, so we rely on volunteers’ efforts to keep our beach clean.
Dagan Ministero, a Sunset local who surfs on Ocean Beach daily and manages Aqua Surf Shop on Judah and 44th Avenue, said, “There’s more people on staff but it’s only four guys maintaining the two and a half mile stretch of beach.”
With federal budget cuts, there is little optimism around an appropriated larger fund for Ocean Beach maintenance, resulting in a deterioration of the landmark.
Many Mission residents were drawn to the idea of more public space and pointed out that they would occasionally benefit from the closure of the Highway. “I liked biking up and down the road,” said Ashley Spencer. Resident Jeff Ondocsin agreed, “It’s always nice to have more parks.” Hence, many supported the ordinance without recognizing the latent drawbacks for the local community.
According to city data, the Sunset’s population is 83,259 of the total 808,437 residents of San Francisco. While the whole city had a say on Proposition K, the consequences of it fall entirely on the west side of the city, which clearly voted against it. “The only people who seem to want it aren’t from here,” Ramon J. Ruiz said.”