San Francisco State graduates, businesses caught in gridlock as 19th Avenue repaving project snarls traffic
A major repaving project along San Francisco's busy 19th Avenue created traffic headaches on Friday for commuters, shoppers and San Francisco State University graduates trying to make it to commencement ceremonies on time.
The closure marks the final of three planned weekend shutdowns tied to Caltrans' effort to repave a stretch of 19th Avenue between Sloat Boulevard and Holloway Avenue, near SF State and Stonestown Galleria. Crews have closed two of the three northbound lanes while work continues through Memorial Day weekend.
The construction zone sits along one of the city's busiest corridors. Also known as State Route 1, 19th Avenue handles roughly 40,000 drivers daily.
For graduating psychology student Lisa Salinas, the delays added stress to what was supposed to be a celebratory day.
"Not being able to get here on time and worrying about that definitely added a lot of stress this morning," Salinas said.
Multiple SF State departments held graduation ceremonies on Friday, drawing heavy traffic into the area. Salinas said she thought parking at a BART station and taking public transit to campus would help her avoid congestion.
Instead, she found herself stuck in gridlock.
"Coming in on 19th was just complete deadlock traffic, we're not moving at all," she said.
With the bus stop in front of campus temporarily closed because of the paving project, Salinas got off near Stonestown and ran to campus in heels.
"Sweaty, tired, and stressed" described many graduates arriving late to ceremonies, though the university still allowed students into commencement events.
"I just had a bad feeling I wasn't going to make it on time," said Salinas. "I worked really hard to get here. It's been a long road, a very long journey."
Another graduate, Katherine Wang, said she also had to rush to campus.
"I was running in my Crocs," Wang said. "And I had my gown and everything in my arm. So I was trying to run. I was in a hurry, so I don't even have my tassel on."
Unlike the two previous weekend closures, which primarily affected residential neighborhoods, this latest phase directly impacts businesses surrounding SF State and Stonestown Galleria during one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year.
Mukit Al, manager of the phone accessory store The Repair inside Stonestown, said customer traffic dropped sharply Friday.
"We always got customers, but now, it's slow, slow, slow," Al said.
He said the slowdown could hurt businesses throughout Memorial Day weekend.
"Only two sales I made today," he said.
Caltrans spokesperson Matt O'Donnell said drivers can still access the mall and nearby businesses but urged motorists to use alternate routes.
"People can still visit the mall," O'Donnell said. "They should just use the alternate route. We're really pushing Junipero Serra as the alternate route."
Caltrans officials said they chose daytime work because crews can complete the paving project more efficiently during daylight hours. Workers stripped away the old roadway surface and are adding two new layers of asphalt to each lane.
"They're going to have a smoother ride on northbound and southbound," O'Donnell said.
During the daytime, lane reductions are limited to northbound traffic. At night, both northbound and southbound traffic are reduced to one lane in each direction.
Caltrans expected crews to finish the work by 10 a.m. Monday. Once completed, officials say the 19th Avenue repaving project will be essentially finished, with no additional closures planned.