Commencement Celebration for Doyle Drive Replacement Project

On Saturday, October 17 2009, the 20th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake – federal, state and local officials and the Doyle Drive Replacement Project team celebrated the economic stimulus and safety that the project will bring to the region. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Federal Highway Administration Administrator Victor Mendez, Caltrans Director Randy Iwasaki and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom joined local, state and regional officials during the commencement celebration.

With preconstruction work underway, the project is a successful example of the use of funds from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, with $50 million enabling construction to begin a year early and creating jobs for San Francisco and Bay Area workers. After years of intensive regional coordination, environmental review and careful planning, this much-anticipated project will greatly improve the seismic safety of the roadway as well as create a spectacular regional gateway between the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and the city of San Francisco.

“When this project is complete, Doyle Drive will be a symbol of our emergency preparedness and a sign of our commitment to the safety of local drivers and bus riders,” said Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “The people of San Francisco are ready for less congestion, less traffic, safer roadways, and shorter commute times, and this effort will ensure that this beautiful parkway remains a safe passage for commuters and visitors throughout our City.”

"The Doyle Drive Replacement project is an example of unprecedented local, state and federal agency cooperation," said Jose Luis Moscovich, executive director of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority. "This project plainly illustrates the real commitment of government agencies to improving the nation's infrastructure and supporting the economy by bringing jobs to our workforce."

"We're honored that Speaker Pelosi and Mayor Newsom recognize the importance of this regional project and have worked hard along with us to secure funding and regional consensus to ensure this project continues to move forward," said Randy Iwasaki, director of Caltrans. “Our mission is to improve mobility, and this project will improve mobility in this area, make it safe and create jobs.”

The commencement ceremony was held at 9:00 a.m. at the Crissy Field Center, 603 Old Mason Street in the Presidio of San Francisco, the future site of the project public outreach office.

The overall Doyle Drive Replacement Project was broken into multiple contracts to expedite delivery of the project and qualify it for $50 million in federal stimulus funding as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

About The Doyle Drive Replacement Project

The replacement of Doyle Drive with the Presidio Parkway is a collaborative effort led by the California Department of Transportation and the San Francisco County Transportation Authority.

Doyle Drive is the portion of Route 101 located within the Presidio of San Francisco that winds 1.5 miles along the northern edge of San Francisco and connects the San Francisco peninsula to the Golden Gate Bridge and the North Bay. Each weekday, nearly 100,000 vehicles travel between Marin and San Francisco over the Golden Gate Bridge along Doyle Drive.

Doyle Drive is structurally and seismically deficient and must be replaced. The roadway is facing the same problem that threatens other crucial components of the nation's infrastructure – the ravages of time and continual use. Originally built in 1936, Doyle Drive has reached the end of its useful life. The new Presidio Parkway replacement is based on a world-class design that will improve the seismic, structural and traffic safety of the roadway. It also will be far more sensitive to community needs and to the national park setting, reducing impacts on biological, cultural, historical and natural resources and on the surrounding neighborhoods.

Highlights of the new design include:

• A parkway with two short tunnels, a wide landscaped median, traffic calming transition to city streets, increased width and the addition of shoulders to accommodate disabled vehicles and for emergency use
• A spectacular regional gateway that respects the natural contours of the surrounding area and complements the unique environment of San Francisco and the Presidio, a national park
• New direct access to the Presidio and enhanced views
• A more centralized location for transit connections
• Enhanced pedestrian connections within the Presidio to the Main Post, Crissy Marsh, the National Cemetery and historic batteries
• Reduced light and noise intrusion at Crissy Field.

For more information, visit www.doyledrive.org.

For high resolution images, visit www.doyledrive.org/contact/press_center.aspx.

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