Big highway future: Measure K to permanently close part of the area to cars divides San Francisco community members

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — It looks like a two-mile stretch of the Great Highway in San Francisco will be closed.

The latest numbers show that Measure K passed, receiving 54% of the vote.

Closing the road to cars creates a new seaside park, but not everyone is happy.

As the sun sets on Ocean Beach, people enjoy another quiet weekend on the great highway with no traffic.

RELATED: Should SF’s Great Highway be permanently closed to cars? Here’s what both sides say about Prop K

If Measure K is officially passed, this will become a reality seven days a week – not just weekends.

And that’s exactly what Chase Davenport hopes.

“I just think open space is very important to the city,” Davenport said.

Davenport is a coastal scientist contemplating the future of Ocean Beach and what is happening there.

“I think we need to experience this city in a different way than in a car as the world changes,” Davenport said.

RELATED: Tensions rise over proposal to close part of San Francisco’s Great Highway

The Great Highway was temporarily closed to traffic during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The city then closed it on weekends and holidays.

But not everyone agrees with Measure K and a complete shutdown.

“It’s very disappointing for us right now…we didn’t want the Great Highway to be permanently closed to cars,” said Richie Greenberg, who lives in the Richmond District.

He says permanently closing the Great Highway will cause a major headache and divert traffic to normally quiet neighborhood streets.

“These roads are not designed for the 20,000 cars per volume like here that use the Great Highway,” Greenberg said.

RELATED: Debate over changes to San Francisco’s Great Highway intensifies with Prop K

Greenberg expects this will also impact businesses in the Richmond District.

“People are not going to want to come here because of the congestion, because of the inconvenience, because of possible accidents, because of possible congestion,” Greenberg said.

“This movement is being led by people who have been living in the sunset for years,” said Lucas Lux, board president of Friends of Great Highway Park. The benefits of permanently closing part of the road to cars outweigh the disadvantages.

Lux says it’s about giving the community a safe space and a reason to come out.

“After Measure K wins, we will work together to make our streets safe for everyone in our family and have a world-class park in our backyard. I think there’s an opportunity for us to have a win-win in the neighborhood,” Lux said.

However, opponents say that residents directly affected by the closure and increased traffic did not demand this measure.

“We all voted strongly “no” to the closures. It was the residents of Mission and Noe and East San Francisco who voted yes,” Greenberg said. “This should not have been a ballot measure in the first place.”

Selena Chu, a resident of San Francisco’s Sunset neighborhood, shared on Facebook: “By portraying this closure as a citywide issue, (Supervisor Joel) Engardio brought the voices of West Side communities that rely on the freeway for our daily commute.” are, effectively silenced. There was a pre-existing compromise allowing the Great Highway to be shared on weekdays and closed on weekends and public holidays, which does not expire until the end of 2025.”

ABC7 News reached out to Supervisor Engardio for comment Saturday evening. He didn’t answer.