Even people who use Doyle Drive regularly might not realize there is a sidewalk along the northbound lanes as drivers enter from the Marina. That is where work will be going starting Monday night.
Below the stretch of sidewalk along northbound Doyle Drive, there was a secret just discovered by Caltrans, an original pipe from the 1930s wrapped in asbestos. "It was an old electrical pipe that actually powered up the Golden Gate Bridge, but it was buried within the structure, so we just found it last week," Dave Pang said.
A full closure of the entire Doyle Drive is planned for the weekend of April 27 through April 30 so the existing Doyle Drive can be demolished, but the newly-discovered pipe has to be removed first to meet asbestos safety regulations. So, starting tonight, a 3,300 foot section of the far right northbound lane will be closed weeknights from 8 p.m. to noon the next day and weekend nights from 9 a.m. to noon the next day, with that schedule in place until the full closure on April 27.
"There's only one lane in the northbound direction. The far right curb lane will be closed nightly from 8 p.m. to noon the next day. Those hours were chosen so that it doesn't have an impact on the evening commuters going back to Marin," project spokesperson Molly graham said.
Caltrans says the asbestos pipe removal does not pose a health risk to the public or workers. It will be a surgical demolition. "Basically, a saw cut to minimize the amount of exposure or damage to the pipe. You take it down carefully, then you contain it. You basically completely seal off the ends and we apply a lot of liberal use of abatement, which is a lot of water," Pan explained.
The new Doyle Drive will be known as the Presidio Parkway and is scheduled to open in 2015.
For more information on the traffic impact and alternate routes, check out ABC7 News' exclusive Waze traffic app.
