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SF supervisor seeks last-minute support for Great Highway ballot measure
Supervisor Alan Wong is leading a final push to revive the Great Highway debate by putting a reopening measure before voters.
San Francisco - The future of San Francisco’s Great Highway is once again at the center of political debate as a newly appointed supervisor pushes for a ballot measure that would reopen the roadway to cars on weekdays.
Great Highway back on the ballot?
District 4 Supervisor Alan Wong, who took office last month, is seeking to place a citywide measure on the June ballot that would reopen the Great Highway to vehicles Monday through Friday, while keeping it closed as a park on weekends.
To do so, Wong must secure the support of at least three other members of the Board of Supervisors by Tuesday afternoon. Supervisor Connie Chan has publicly committed to supporting Wong.
The backstory:
Sunset Dunes, which replaced a stretch of the Great Highway, has been embraced by many residents as a car-free space but criticized by others, particularly West Side commuters, as a source of traffic congestion.
"It’s really important because for neighbors, it’s a traffic safety issue," Wong said. "Before it was closed, there were about 14,000 commuters that went through there daily, and those cars don’t just disappear when the road is closed, they take alternate routes."
Wong said traffic has been pushed onto nearby residential streets and major corridors such as Sunset Boulevard and 19th Avenue, which is currently undergoing a yearlong Caltrans repaving project. He also cited city data showing an increase in traffic injuries since the park opened last spring. One study by SFMTA showed mixed results, with some streets seeing increased congestion while others experienced minimal change.
"This is people’s day-to-day lives," Wong said. "People need to commute on time so they can take their kids to school, go to work, go to the VA hospital. I support the compromise, I believe it’s the best of both worlds."
Difference of opinion
Opponents argue the issue was already settled by voters. Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who does not support the proposal, said in a statement:
"The ballot measure that created Sunset Dunes Park at Ocean Beach won by ten percentage points citywide in 2024, and I see no rationale for a re-vote that would likely achieve the same result. The Great Highway’s days have been numbered for a long time because of coastal erosion. I think Sunset Dunes reclaims this coastal resource for all San Franciscans in a way that’s thoughtful, well planned and sustainable."
How do neighborhood residents feel?
Residents remain divided. San Francisco resident Rachel Novak said reopening the issue is unnecessary.
"I think we need to stop litigating… We voted on it, we did a recall, and now we have all these elections and everything like that. I think this is a waste of time and effort that could be used to address real problems in this city and it's pretty obvious that the park is amazing," she said.
Jorge Gonzalez said he regularly visits Sunset Dunes with his son.
"He loves it," Gonzalez said. "It gives us more time to come out here and bond. I can watch him skate after work and do fun stuff."
The other side:
Nearby business owners tell a different story. The owner of Smile House Cafe on Taraval Street said the closure has added at least 20 minutes each way to his family’s commute and contributed to a 10 to 15 percent drop in customers.
"There are definitely impacts," said Luke Lei, speaking through an interpreter. "People don’t want to commit to that long of a commute anymore. We feel like it's a struggle on top of traffic, there's also parking issues."
Several supervisors, including Dorsey, have said they will not support placing the measure on the ballot.
If Wong fails to secure enough votes, supporters could still attempt to qualify the measure through a signature-gathering campaign. Cost estimates for a ballot measure would be released following a required city fiscal analysis.