Sunshine and blue skies got plenty of people out to the coast Sunday, including along San Francisco's Great Highway, where the main stretch will be closed to cars permanently on Friday.
By now, neighbors are used to the Great Highway's closures on weekends, but soon, the closed road will become the new normal as the city makes way for its newest oceanside park.
San Francisco's Recreation and Parks Department announced last week that the two-mile stretch of the Great Highway from Lincoln Way to Sloat Boulevard will officially be closed to cars for good starting Friday, March 14. The city will turn this space into a new 50-acre park scheduled to open on April 12. The park has not been named yet, and residents are invited to submit their ideas for potential names by 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 16.
The new park is expected to include murals, lounge spaces, elevated seating for ocean views, a live music space, sculptures and public art installations, a skating space, outdoor fitness equipment, a nature area for children, bike parking, and a bike pump track.
This stretch of San Francisco along Ocean Beach has evolved many times over the years. The landscape covered in sand dunes has attracted travelers and beachgoers, as well as concerns about erosion.
In 2020, the city closed this stretch of road to cars to allow for more recreation opportunities while people were being asked to social distance. Since 2021, the road was been closed to cars on weekends, and back open on weekdays. In 2022, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved a three-year pilot project to keep the road closed to cars on weekends.
The permanent road closure to cars was made possible by voters narrowly passing Proposition K in November and the California Coastal Commission approving the city's permit.
Sunday, the Upper Great Highway stretch was packed with people walking, running, riding bikes, and rollerblading. Many told us that a beautiful day strolling down the Great Highway is hard to beat.
"For me personally, I love it," said Jordyn Gabucayan, who lives in the Outer Richmond and was out for a run on the Great Highway.
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Everyone who spoke with NBC Bay Area near the Great Highway on Sunday said they support this change.
"We like to get out here because there’s a lot less traffic, and I’m very nervous about riding near traffic, so I think it will be good for me," said San Francisco resident and cyclist Cameron Stiehl.
Outer Sunset resident Caroline Loffredo, who had just finished surfing at Ocean Beach after taking a run on the Great Highway, said, "I am super stoked about it, it's great."
However, the city is aware there is still opposition. Some neighbors near the highway still have signs expressing their opposition to Prop. K in their windows.
A few San Franciscans acknowledged this change is bringing a few traffic concerns for them.
Gabucayan said that he estimates the road closure will extend his commute to work by ten to fifteen minutes.
"It's unfortunate the Great Highway is closing because it’s a commute I take, personally," he said.
He added, "But I do love running, so it's honestly a good opportunity to run and for kids and families to walk around as well."
Some San Franciscans said they'd already submitted their suggestions for what the new park should be named.
Outer Sunset resident Cole Waldron said he'd submitted a few suggestions, including one named for his dog, "Robert Bobby Bingus Memorial Parkway."
Another San Francisco resident, Nancy, who declined to share her last name, said she submitted a suggestion based on a threatened species of bird commonly found on the beach.
Her proposed name is, "'The Snowy Plover Park' because of the plovers, this being their habitat."
