Highway 101 in San Francisco closing for weekend roadwork
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SAN FRANCISCO - A stretch of Highway 101 in San Francisco will be completely shut down for the weekend as Caltrans continues repair work.
Caltrans will close northbound Highway 101, also known as Hospital Curve, between Cesar Chavez Street and 17th Street.
The closure will begin Friday at 11 p.m. and continue through Monday at 6 a.m.
Crews will remove old concrete along the stretch and replace it with new pavement. The fast lane of southbound Highway 101 also will be closed to give crews room to work around the clock.
There was a similar shutdown along the same stretch during Labor Day weekend.
More closures planned
Local perspective:
Caltrans spokesman Pedro Quintana said two additional closures are planned for the southbound lanes in October.
"Once we’re all completed and done with this project, both the northbound and southbound directions, come late October, we’re going to have a much smoother ride, and the roadway will be great for the next 30 years," Quintana said.
Drivers are urged to plan ahead and take alternate routes, including streets or Interstate 280. Public transportation also is recommended.
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Drivers react to shutdown
What they're saying:
Some motorists said the closure will be a headache, but they hope the repairs will be worth the inconvenience.
"It’s definitely an inconvenience for the traffic. I mean, there’s already a lot of traffic that gets backed up during the week," Dana Farkas said. "I hope something good comes out of it. Luckily, for the last one, I was out of town for the weekend."
Tommy Lim said the repair work will benefit drivers in the long run.
"This is a short-term inconvenience, but we need to build for the future," he said.
Edmond Toy agreed.
"It has to be done. It’s no fun, but in the long run, it’s for the good," Toy said.
The Source: This story was sourced from Caltrans spokesman Pedro Quintana, along with interviews with San Francisco residents about their reactions to the full weekend closure.

