Report: 2 Bay Area freeways should be demolished

Amy Hollyfield Image
ByAmy Hollyfield KGO logo
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Report: 2 Bay Area freeways should be demolished
Two Bay Area freeways now have a dubious distinction of being on a list of freeways that are so bad they should be demolished.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Two Bay Area freeways now have a dubious distinction of being on a list of freeways that are so bad they should be demolished.

The two Bay Area freeways the report says should be demolished are I-280 in San Francisco and I-980 in Oakland. The non-profit group Congress for the New Urbanism put these two on a list of 10 freeways in the country that should be removed.

The report says I-280 and I-980 are blights to the communities they serve. It suggests getting rid of them would create space for affordable housing and public transportation. Mayor Ed Lee has said he likes this idea, he has already proposed taking down 280; this is the section between 16th and Mission Bay.

The city of Oakland is also already studying getting rid of I-980 and converting it to a boulevard. This new report just gives back up to supporters of this idea.