Lane Closures On 19th Avenue Snarl Traffic

Caltrans shut two northbound lanes on 19th Avenue in San Francisco for a 70-hour repaving job between Sloat Boulevard and Lincoln Way. (dot.ca.gov) The closure began at 7 a.m. Friday, April 24, with one lane left open for public transit, emergency responders and local access on State Route 1. (dot.ca.gov) (kqed.org) Caltrans said the first weekend’s work covered 16 blocks and six lane miles on one of the city’s busiest north-south corridors. KQED reported the agency estimates about 40,000 vehicles use 19th Avenue on a typical day. (dot.ca.gov) (kqed.org) The road is more than a neighborhood street: 19th Avenue is also State Route 1 and a main approach to the Golden Gate Bridge from the south. Caltrans told drivers from Marin County and San Mateo County to avoid the area if possible. (kqed.org) The agency routed through-traffic toward Sunset Boulevard and back to 19th Avenue near Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Golden Gate Park. Parking on 19th Avenue was restricted inside the work zones. (dot.ca.gov) (kqed.org) This was the first of three planned weekend closures in spring 2026 for the second phase of Caltrans’ 19th Avenue Rehabilitation Project. The broader phase repaves northbound and southbound lanes between Lincoln Way and Holloway Avenue, about 18.8 lane miles, plus the Park Presidio Boulevard and California Street intersection. (dot.ca.gov) Caltrans said packaging the work into three weekend shutdowns cuts the public impact from about 40 days to nine or 10 days. The agency says the project also includes traffic detection upgrades and later summer work at California Street and Park Presidio. (dot.ca.gov 1) (dot.ca.gov 2) The first closure finished early, with Caltrans reopening the corridor at 1:35 a.m. Monday, April 27, about 3½ hours ahead of schedule. The next closures are set for May 8-11 on southbound 19th Avenue and May 22-25 on both directions between Sloat Boulevard and Holloway Avenue. (dot.ca.gov)