Massive amounts of dirt moved to link San Francisco's Presidio with bay

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Crews were moving mountains in San Francisco's Presidio -- 50,000 cubic yards of soil that will be the foothold for one of the most unique destinations in the Bay Area. Half park, half freeway, and 100 jaw-dropping.

"You'll be able to walk out of our visitor center out on to this incredible new park, panoramic views of the downtown skyline, Golden Gate Bridge, places you can bring your family to have picnic," says Michael Boland, Development Director for the Presidio Trust.

Several weeks ago, he showed ABC7 the planned path of a new wildlife watershed and boardwalk trail that will run under Doyle Drive. But that was only the bottom half the plan. The top part? Fourteen acres of park, perched on top of the Doyle Drive tunnels, the same tunnels that thousands of commuters pass through every day from Marin County and western San Francisco.

"For 75 years, Doyle Drive broke the Presidio in two. You know it cut Crissy Field off from the main post. And when Doyle was rebuilt, it created an opportunity for us to build a new park," says Boland.

Presidio drawings show what the new Tunnel-top Park will look like when it's finished, swirling green ovals of open-space, surrounded by trees. It will also include barbecue circles, a four acre youth campus, and an environmental learning center for kids and families. Now, all that's required for the dream to become reality is hard work and tons and tons of dirt.

"We want to make sure this is a park for the ages, says Boland. So the soil has to be deep enough so the plants can grow and be healthy, forever."