San Francisco's $1.1 Billion Presidio Parkway Completed |
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Federal Highway Administration
13 July 2015
FHWA 52-15
Monday, July 13, 2015
Contact: Doug Hecox
Tel: 202-366-0660
Federally funded project exemplifies transportation investment nation needs, officials say
SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) celebrated the opening of the long-awaited Presidio Parkway with local and state officials today. The $1.1 billion Project relied on $363 million in federal funds, as well as $152.5 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and a $150 million Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan.
“In addition to solving a decades-old seismic protection problem for a critical Bay Area commuter route, this Project represents the sort of large-scale infrastructure improvement America needs,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “We’re counting on Congress to pass the President's GROW AMERICA Act, so more projects like this can begin.”
Since work began in 2009, the Presidio Parkway Project replaced Doyle Drive, a 1.6-mile segment of SR-101 linking the city to the Golden Gate Bridge, connecting Marin and San Francisco counties, and providing a major regional traffic link between the peninsula and North Bay Area counties.
Built in 1936, Doyle Drive outlasted its useful life, was seismically deficient and no longer met highway standards. Though planning for this project began in the 1950s, the vulnerability of this important route became very apparent during the 1989 World Series when the Loma Prieta earthquake killed 63 people, injured thousands, collapsed segments of I-880 and caused widespread traffic problems for months.
The Presidio Parkway offers drivers a spectacular regional gateway between the Golden Gate Bridge and downtown San Francisco, and is an example of a successful public private partnership that will serve as a model for other projects.
It is used as a case study by the USDOT’s Build America Transportation Investment Center (BATIC) to help projects across the country learn from others’ experiences. The BATIC is a one-stop shop for state and local governments, developers and investors seeking innovative financing strategies for their transportation infrastructure projects.
“Safety is our top priority, and the completion of this Project should bring peace of mind to all Bay Area drivers,” said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Gregory Nadeau. "Every city in the nation is counting on Congress to do the right thing and ensure there is long-term highway funding available to help them too.”
The Presidio Parkway Project area extends from the Golden Gate Bridge Toll Plaza on the west to Broderick Street on the east, and includes local roads within the Presidio Trust. The Presidio Parkway is now a six-lane route with a southbound auxiliary lane between the Park Presidio Interchange connected to Highway 1 and the new Presidio access at Girard Road.