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 The 79-hour closure, which will last through 5 a.m. local time on
Monday, was expected to result in delays of up to four hours for
vehicles forced to use the only other approach to cross the Golden
Gate Bridge from San Francisco into Marin County, said project
spokeswoman Molly Graham said.
"If you come to the Presidio (neighborhood) by bike or on foot,
there’ll be lots of activity to see while the crews work, but for
vehicles, the traffic will be major,” Graham said.
"Mostly, we’re saying just avoid the corridor."
The expected traffic nightmare comes amid a six-year, $1 billion
project to replace Doyle Drive, an elevated roadway and viaduct
completed in 1936 as one of two thoroughfares leading to San
Francisco's famous bridge.
 Drivers on Monday will be greeted by the new roadway, the Presidio
Parkway, which includes a system of tunnels, bridges and viaducts
"tucked into the natural contours" of the Golden Gate and its
surroundings, according to the project website.
The surface of the tunnels, called the Battery Tunnels, will
eventually include 10 acres of landscaping by the expected
conclusion of the project next year, Graham said.
This weekend, crews in earthmoving machines will demolish a
temporary roadway and connect newly completed bridge and tunnel
segments, Graham said. "There’s going to be a lot of digging, a lot
of hauling and a lot of rebuilding," she said.
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Concerns over the structural and seismic safety of Doyle Drive led
to the formation of a public-private partnership to design, finance,
construct and operate the Presidio Parkway.
Bus and ferry services were in place to help people with
transportation options over the weekend, Graham said.
Delays were expected to last several weeks as motorists became
familiar with the new traffic configuration, she said.
(Editing by Victoria Cavaliere and Paul Tait)
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