Positive reviews for San Francisco's new Doyle Drive

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- For the first time, evening commuters are experiencing the new Doyle Drive in San Francisco, which opened Sunday night ahead of schedule.

Drivers appear to like this new and improved section of roadway.

When asked what surprised him most about the new Doyle Drive, CHP's Andrew Barclay said, "The lack of delay."

Caltrans crammed 10,000 man-hours of labor into 71 actual hours between Thursday at 10 p.m. and Sunday at 9 p.m., when the roadway opened eight hours early -- or actually on time, so ABC7 News has learned.

"We had eight hours of contingency going in to this closure," Golden Link Construction CEO Peter van der Waart van Gulik said.

When asked why the public wasn't told this, he responded, "Because if I would have told you that and everybody would have said, 'Oh they're going to open at 9 o'clock on Sunday night' and then we do find something unexpected, and then you tell us, 'Why are you opening late?'""

The first time through, beware of a quick change in the striping as you enter the southbound tunnel. It should be an issue for about a month.

If you go through at 35 miles an hour, the CHP says you should be fine.

Reviews from drivers who took the road Monday morning are all positive. "It is not perfect yet but they got it done on time as far as I know. I mean, it's work in the right direction, I think," commuter Craig Dos Santos said.

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Click here for full coverage on the Doyle Drive closure.