Reopening San Francisco's Great Highway for cars would cost $10M to start, controller says
A ballot measure that would reopen the Great Highway in San Francisco to motor vehicles would cost nearly $10 million initially and hundreds of thousands of dollars more annually in ongoing costs, according to city officials.
On Tuesday, the San Francisco City Controller's Office released an estimate of the costs of Proposition G, an initiative on the November ballot. The measure would reopen the highway to vehicles on weekdays, reversing a 2024 measure approved by voters to close the highway for the creation of Sunset Dunes park.
If approved, the controller's office found reopening the road would cost $9.8 million in one-time capital costs. About $8.8 million would be for installing new traffic signals at eight intersections, while another $750,000 would be for removing existing park elements and $250,000 would be for temporary and permanent restriping and signage.
Along with the one-time costs, the controller's office estimated annual costs ranging from $500,000 to $1.9 million, including the maintenance of the roadway and traffic signals, along with sand removal and dune reshaping.
Officials noted that removing sand and reshaping the dunes would cost between $100,000 to $1.5 million a year, depending on the defined level of service, weather conditions and funding availability.
When the Great Highway was open to vehicles, officials said the cost of removing sand and reshaping the dunes was about $860,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 and $420,000 in fiscal year 2023-24. Following the changeover to a park, the cost was about $290,000 in fiscal year 2024-25 and $330,000 in fiscal year 2025-26.
The controller's office noted that reopening the highway to vehicles would result in decreased staffing costs for the park, which costs about $300,000 a year.
In addition to the above costs, the controller said the proposal would require a coastal development permit, which may require studies or permit conditions. Officials could not determine the cost of seeking the permit.
Proposition G has become the latest chapter in a yearslong saga over access to the road on the city's western edge. The Great Highway was fully closed to vehicles during stay-at-home orders issued at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, before the road reopened to traffic during weekdays.
In 2024, 54% of voters approved Proposition K, which closed the Great Highway to vehicles and led to the opening of Sunset Dunes. While the measure passed citywide, the plan caused backlash among voters who live near the Great Highway in the Sunset District.
The following year, voters in District 4 recalled supervisor Joel Engardio, who had supported Proposition K.
Supervisor Alan Wong, who replaced Engardio, has voiced support for reopening the Great Highway to vehicles on weekdays. Wong attempted to place a measure on the June ballot but failed.
Proposition G qualified for the November ballot after supporters submitted more than 15,000 signatures.
Opponents of the upcoming ballot measure said the plan would lead to the removal of park features such as picnic areas, seating and the skate park.
Friends of Sunset Dunes, which advocates for the park, said a majority of the Board of Supervisors oppose Proposition G, including Board President Rafael Mandelman, Matt Dorsey, Bilal Mahmood, Myrna Melgar, Danny Sauter and Stephen Sherrill.