OAKLAND — Weekend drivers considering a jaunt north across the Golden Gate Bridge might want to think instead about rerouting their trips to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge or go above it all to Highway 37 in Vallejo.
Doyle Drive, San Francisco’s major link to the bridge is scheduled to close at 10 p.m. Thursday and will remain so through 5 a.m. Monday for the final work on a major renovation.
The California Highway Patrol warns of delays of up to four hours during peak commute periods. Motorists are encouraged to use alternate routes or add travel time — or a ferry — to their plans.
The only access to the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco will be via Highway 1, which is 19th Avenue and Park Presidio in the city.
All Golden Gate Bridge parking lots and vista points will be closed, the Highway Patrol says.
The Doyle Drive closure allows the completion of Phase II of the Presidio Parkway Project, which will open new tunnels on the route to and from the bridge.
The project is replacing the seismically and structurally deficient Route 101, originally built in 1936.
The new roadways will have wider lanes, safety shoulders and will be separated. Pylons have long been used to separate traffic on Doyle Drive, and many head-on collisions occurred over the years.
“Stay away if you can, it will be a mess,” said Molly Graham, project spokeswoman. “It’s the first time we will have a closure during a commute day.”
The Marin Independent Journal contributed to this report. Contact Andrew McGall at 925-945-4703. Follow him at twitter.com/AndrewMcGall
