Future of the Gardiner Expressway - Nanos Research

improvements in the Embarcadero corridor,however, built upon existing efforts. SanFrancisco had implemented “transit first”policies since 1972. The city Board hadpassed highway demolition resolutions threetimes in the 1970s and 80s. In 1986, theissue was brought to public referendum, whichwas voted down.Concern over congestion increases downtowndid not materialize despite an immediate25 percent capacity reduction. Forty-twopercent of drivers found alternate routes withinsix weeks of the earthquake. Other driversreduced discretionary trips or opted for publictransit.ProcessCALTRANS studied three alternatives for thedamaged Embarcadero Freeway: seismologicalretrofit; a tunnel; and an at-grade urbanboulevard.The third alternative was selected primarilybased on cost. This alternative attractedsignificant public support, in particular fromanti-growth advocates. Almost immediatelyafter the earthquake, San Francisco’s Mayorannounced his support for demolishing theEmbarcadero.Yet there was also opposition. Chinatownmerchants argued removing the highway woulddecrease their customer base, which wasincreasingly shopping in suburban locations.lessons of embarcadero freeway• The Embarcadero Freeway removal signaled a shift in prioritiesamong municipal officials from mobility-based planning tosustainable urban development.• Values of property adjacent to the new Embarcadero Boulevardincreased by 300 percent; jobs in the area increased by 23percent.• Urban design has a key role to play in highway removal –boulevard design slowed traffic, thereby creating an environmentamenable to retail and residential development. In addition, landuse planning was intergrated with traffic engineering.The Ferry Building has becoming a gathering space for the city. Over 25,000 people visitit each weekend.34Future of the Gardiner Expressway