San Francisco Planning to Remove the Great Highway as Coastal Erosion Takes its Toll

San Francisco took a big step toward removing a highway as coastal erosion washes away the shoreline under the Great Highway.

The highway removal plan is included in amendments to the Western Shoreline Area Plan, which won approval from the city's Planning Commission this week. "Though the plans still need further approval on the local and state levels, the unanimous support marks a step toward the eventual closure of the Great Highway between Sloat and Skyline Boulevards and the construction of a pedestrian pathway to Fort Funston," reports Michael Barba.

"The amendments also add protection for critical wastewater infrastructure beneath the Great Highway," adds Barba. "The amendments call for shoreline protection devices to be buried along the beach to protect the 14-foot-wide Lake Merced Tunnel from erosion."

Previous Planetizen coverage of planning efforts in the area of Ocean Beach and the Great Highway include work by SPUR in 2014 and an article in San Francisco magazine in May 2017.