People in theSan Francisco Bay Area rely on a complex multimodaltransportation infrastructure consisting of roads,bridges, highways, rail, tunnels, airports,seaports, and bike and pedestrian paths. The development, maintenance, and operation of these different modes of transportation are overseen by various agencies, including the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), theAssociation of Bay Area Governments,San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, and theMetropolitan Transportation Commission. These and other organizations collectively manage severalinterstate highways andstate routes, eight passenger rail networks, eight trans-bay bridges, transbay ferry service, local and transbaybus service, threeinternational airports, and an extensive network of roads, tunnels, and bike paths.
The Bay Area, especiallySan Francisco, are frequently listed as one of the best and most extensive cities and/or metropolitan areas in the United States for public transportation.[1][2] Local trips on transit are frequently accomplished by bus services. Different agencies serve different corners of the Bay Area, such asSamTrans serving mostlySan Mateo County andCounty Connection connecting the suburbs ofContra Costa County; though some bus agencies operate transbay services, such asGolden Gate Transit. While ferries also connect communities across the bay, most transbay and longer-distance trips on public transportation, however, use rail-based transit.Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is the solerapid transit system within the bay and the dominant provider of regional transportation between San Francisco, northern San Mateo County, and much of the East Bay. The Bay Area is also home to variouscommuter rail services, such asSMART within Sonoma and Marin counties,Caltrain on theSan Francisco Peninsula,ACE betweenSan Jose andStockton, and variousAmtrak routes out ofOakland and San Jose. San Francisco is also the home of theworld's last manually-operated cable car system, and both San Francisco'sMuni and Santa Clara'sVTA operatelight rail networks to complement their bus services. With few exceptions, most public transit within the Bay Area can be paid for by using theClipper card.
Though not as extensive asSouthern California's freeways, the Bay Area is also home to an extensive network of highways. Four bridges traverse the San Francisco Bay itself, and four more traverse the northernSan Pablo Bay, in addition to more localized expressways such asUS 101 andInterstate 280 in the Peninsula, Interstates680 and880 in the East Bay, andInterstate 505 in the north. Many highways have tolled express lanes, paid for by usingFasTrak. Streets within the Bay Area vary from widerstroads such asEl Camino Real in the Peninsula, to denser slower streets within urban cores, to scenic routes likeCalifornia State Route 1. However, San Francisco has historically approached freeways with hostility, and activists have moved to stop the construction of new highways and tear down existing ones, most notably inciting the 1991 demolition of theEmbarcadero Freeway. The city today is seen as the birthplace ofAmerican highway revolts.[3]
The Bay Area has four airports served by commercial airlines, three of which are international airports. In addition to these airports, there are many general aviation airports in the region.
All major Bay Area airports are located near freeways and are served by public transportation, ride-share services, and various private shuttle bus operators.
Public transportation in the San Francisco Bay Area is quite extensive, including onerapid transit system, threecommuter rail lines, twolight rail systems, two ferry systems,Amtrak inter-city rail services, and four major overlapping bus agencies, in addition to dozens of smaller ones. Most agencies accept theClipper Card, a reloadable universal electronic payment card.
An extensive rail infrastructure that provides a mix of services exists within the nine Bay Area counties.Bay Area Rapid Transit, commonly known as BART, providesrapid transit service betweenSan Francisco andContra Costa,Alameda,San Mateo, andSanta Clara counties.Caltrain, which runs on the right-of-way of the historicSouthern Pacific Railroad, provides commuter rail service on theSan Francisco Peninsula, linking the cities ofSan Francisco,San Jose,Gilroy, and numerous peninsula cities in between. TheMillbrae Intermodal Terminal provides transfers between Caltrain and BART. TheAltamont Corridor Express, commonly known as ACE, also provides commuter rail service, but from theCentral Valley intoSilicon Valley, terminating at San Jose'sDiridon Station. To the north,Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) line provides commuter rail service inSonoma andMarin counties.
In addition,Amtrak has a presence throughout the Bay Area. There are two intercity services: theCapitol Corridor connects Bay Area cities toSacramento, and theSan Joaquins connects to cities across theSan Joaquin Valley. Additionally, there are two long-distance services, theCoast Starlight offers service toSeattle andLos Angeles whileCalifornia Zephyr runs toChicago viaDenver.
The Bay Area also has two light rail systems: one run bySan Francisco Municipal Railway calledMuni Metro, which operates within the city of San Francisco, and the other run by theSanta Clara Valley Transportation Authority, which operates withinSanta Clara County.
A series of overlapping bus agencies provide additional public transit coverage to Bay Area regions both served and not served by rail transit. The four largest agencies,Muni,AC Transit,SamTrans, andVTA operate within the City of San Francisco, East Bay, the Peninsula, and South Bay respectively, although their service areas generally overlap with neighboring agencies and numerous smaller agencies. All of these agencies also provide limitedlate night bus service, which are intended to "shadow" the rail routes that are closed during the nighttime hours for maintenance. In addition, the four bus agencies are each independently pursuing constructingbus rapid transit systems by developing separated right-of-ways and traffic signaling on busy corridors, including onGeary andVan Ness for Muni,El Camino Real for SamTrans and VTA, andInternational Boulevard for AC Transit.
Although BART and certain bus agencies provide travel over (or under) theSan Francisco Bay,Golden Gate Ferry andSan Francisco Bay Ferry provide ferry service across the bay.
Most systems allow bicycles onto their systems with no additional charge. In addition, Bay Area residents may rent bicycles from theBay Wheels bike share in certain parts of San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties.
Agency | Train Example | Service Area | Daily ridership[a] | Clipper Payment Option | Routes | Stations | Track Length | Track Gauge | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BART | Blue,Green,Orange,Red andYellow Lines | ![]() | San Francisco,Alameda,Contra Costa,San Mateo andSanta Clara counties | 162,100 | Yes | 5 | 50 | 131 mi (211 km) | 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge |
eBART | Eastern Contra Costa County | 4,600 | Yes | 1 | 3 | 10.1 mi (16.3 km) | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge | ||
Oakland Airport Connector | ![]() | Oakland International Airport | 1,000 | Yes | 1 | 2 | 3.2 mi (5.1 km) | — |
Agency | Train Example | Service Area | Daily ridership[a] | Clipper Payment Option | Routes | Stations | Track Length | Track Gauge |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ACE | ![]() | San Joaquin, Alameda and Santa Clara counties | 2,900 | No | 1 | 10 | 86 mi (138 km) | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge |
Caltrain | ![]() | San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties | 30,500 | Yes | 1 | 32 1 planned | 77.4 mi (124.6 km) | |
SMART | ![]() | Marin andSonoma counties | 3,500 | Yes | 1 | 14 2 planned | 48 mi (77 km) |
Agency | Train Example | Service Area | Daily ridership[9] | Clipper Payment Option | Routes | Stations | Track Length | Track Gauge | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Amtrak California | Capitol Corridor | ![]() | Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa,Yolo,Sacramento andPlacer counties | 2,500 | No | 1 | 17 | 168 mi (270 km) | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge |
San Joaquins | Alameda and Contra Costa counties in the Bay Area section of its route | 2,300 | 1 to Bay Area (2 total) | 4 in the Bay Area (16 total) | 315 mi (507 km) | ||||
Amtrak | California Zephyr | ![]() | Alameda and Contra Costa counties in the Bay Area section of its route | 900 | 1 | 3 in the Bay Area (33 total) | 2,438 mi (3,924 km) | ||
Coast Starlight | ![]() | Alameda, Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties in the Bay Area section of its route | 930 | 1 | 3 in the Bay Area (28 total) | 1,377 mi (2,216 km) |
Agency | Train Example | Service Area | Daily ridership[a] | Clipper Payment Option | Routes | Stations | Track Length | Track Gauge | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Muni | Muni Metro | ![]() | San Francisco | 96,000 | Yes | 6 | 33(+ 87 additional stops) | 34.6 mi (55.7 km) | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge |
Heritage streetcars (E Embarcadero1,F Market & Wharves) | 2 | 36 | 6 mi (9.7 km) | ||||||
Cable cars | ![]() | 14,900 (2019)[10] | 3 | 52 stops | 5.1 mi (8.2 km) | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) | |||
VTA light rail | ![]() | Santa Clara County | 13,900 | 3 | 62 | 42.2 mi (67.9 km) | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge |
1The E Embarcadero was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic and as of March 2024 has yet to resume.[11]
TheTransbay Terminal serves as the terminus forGreyhound long-distance bus services and as a hub for regional bus systemsAC Transit (Alameda andContra Costa counties),WestCAT,SamTrans (San Mateo County), andGolden Gate Transit (Marin andSonoma counties).[12]
There are severalbus stations in the San Francisco Bay Area includingFairfield Transportation Center,Richmond Parkway Transit Center, Naglee Park and Ride,Hercules Transit Center,Curtola Park & Ride,Eastmont Transit Center,San Rafael Transit Center and many bus bays at BART stations.
Agency Name | Bus Example | Service Area | Daily ridership[a] | Clipper Payment Option | Number of Routes | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Local | Rapid/ Limited | Express/ Commuter | Shuttle | All-Nighter | |||||
AC Transit | ![]() | Entire:Inner East Bay (western Alameda County and western Contra Costa County) Parts of: San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties | 163,300 | Yes | 68 | 4 | 29 | — | 6 |
SamTrans | ![]() | Entire:San Mateo County Parts of: San Francisco and Santa Clara counties | 34,900 | 30 | — | 1 | — | 2 | |
Muni | Entire:San Francisco Parts of:Marin and San Mateo counties | 383,300 | 42 | 5 | 16 | — | 10 | ||
VTA | ![]() | Entire:Santa Clara County Parts of: San Mateo County | 75,000 | 54 | 5 | 12 | 12 | 1 | |
Note: Some routes that operate as one route type may also be listed as another type (e.g. select daytime AC Transit, Muni, and VTA services also operate as All-Nighter routes) |
Agency Name | Service Area | Daily ridership[a] | Clipper Payment Option | Local/ Basic Routes | Rapid/ Limited Routes | Express/ Commuter Routes | Shuttle Routes | All-Nighter Routes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
County Connection | Parts of: Contra Costa County (Concord,Martinez,Orinda,San Ramon,Walnut Creek) and Alameda County (Dublin/Pleasanton BART) | 10,300 | Yes | 35 | — | 7 | 2 | — |
Dumbarton Express | Parts of: Alameda County (Fremont,Newark,Union City) and Santa Clara County (Palo Alto) | — | Yes | — | — | 3 | Yes | — |
Emery Go Round | Entire:Emeryville Connects with (MacArthur BART) inOakland | — | Free | 6 | — | — | — | — |
Fairfield and Suisun Transit | Parts of:Sacramento city, andContra Costa,Yolo, andSolano counties | 700 | Yes | 10 | — | 4 | — | — |
Golden Gate Transit | Parts of:San Francisco, andContra Costa County (El Cerrito,Richmond),Marin County, andSonoma County (Santa Rosa) | 4,600 | Yes | 20 | 1 | 20 | — | — |
Healdsburg Transit | Entire:Healdsburg | — | No | 1 | — | — | 1 | — |
Marin Transit | Entire: Marin County | 9,900 | Yes | 14 | — | — | 7 | — |
Petaluma Transit | Entire:Petaluma | — | Yes | 5 | — | — | — | — |
RidePal | Parts of: Alameda, Santa Clara, Contra Costa, San Francisco counties | — | Yes – ID only | 25 | — | 25 | 0 | — |
San Benito County Transit | Entire:San Benito County Parts of:Santa Clara County (Gilroy) | — | No | 6 | 2 | — | — | — |
San Leandro LINKS | Entire:San Leandro | — | Free | 1 | — | — | — | — |
Santa Cruz Metro | Entire:Santa Cruz County Parts of:Santa Clara County (San Jose) | 15,800 | No | 30 | 5 | 1 | — | — |
Santa Rosa CityBus | Entire:Santa Rosa | — | Yes | 18 | — | — | — | — |
SolTrans | Parts of: San Francisco, and Contra Costa and Solano counties | 3,800 | Yes | 11 | — | 6 | — | — |
Sonoma County Transit | Entire: Sonoma County Parts of: Marin County (San Rafael) | — | Yes | 20 | — | 6 | — | — |
Stanford Marguerite | Entire:Stanford University campus Parts of: Santa Clara County (Palo Alto andMountain View), San Mateo County (Menlo Park), and Alameda County (Fremont andUnion City) | 5,300 | Free | 7 | 3 | — | 9 | 3 |
Tri Delta Transit | Eastern Contra Costa County (Antioch,Brentwood,Concord,Martinez,Pittsburg) | 4,300 | Yes | 13 | — | 7 | 1 | — |
Union City Transit | Entire:Union City | — | Yes | 5 | — | — | — | — |
Vacaville City Coach | Entire:Vacaville | 1,700 | Yes | 4 | — | — | — | — |
VINE | Entire:Napa County Parts of: Solano County (Vallejo) | 1,700 | Yes | 12 | — | 2 | 4 | — |
WestCAT | Parts of: San Francisco and Contra Costa County | 4,944 | Yes | 10 | — | 4 | — | — |
Wheels | Parts of: Contra Costa County (San Ramon,Walnut Creek) and Alameda County (Dublin,Livermore,Pleasanton) | 4,900 | Yes | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | — |
Note: Some of the agencies listed above may have primary operating zones outside of the Bay Area but serve at least portions of Bay Area regions. |
Several other transit agencies (includingSan Benito Transit,Stanislaus Regional Transit Authority,San Joaquin RTD,Rio Vista Delta Breeze,Mendocino Transit, andSanta Cruz Metro) operate regional service from outside the Bay Area to transit stations in the Bay Area.
Private bus companies operate an additional 800 buses, often referred to as tech shuttles. If combined, private shuttles would be the 7th largest transportation provider in the Bay Area.[13]
Agency Name | FerryExample | Service Area | Daily ridership[a] | Clipper Payment Option | Routes | Terminals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Golden Gate Ferry | ![]() | San Francisco andMarin County | 3,700 | Yes | 2 (+2 limited) | 4 (+2 limited) |
San Francisco Bay Ferry | ![]() | San Francisco,Alameda,Contra Costa,San Mateo, andSolano counties | 7,400 | 6 (+3 limited) | 10 (+2 limited) |
There are also private ferries from Emeryville, Berkeley, and Richmond.
Bay Wheels (launched as Bay Area Bike Share) is a regional publicbicycle sharing system that serves the cities ofSan Francisco,Oakland,Berkeley,Emeryville, andSan Jose.
The bicycles are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to anyone who purchases a membership, with three options, annual fee ofUS$150,US$29 for a month orUS$15 for 24 hours.[14] Any rider may take unlimited trips of up to 30 minutes, as measured from the time the bike is withdrawn from a dock to the time it is returned. Bikes can be picked up at any of the stations using a key fob or electronic code, and dropping them off at any station. Longer trips incur additional fees starting atUS$4 for the first additional half-hour, since the idea of bike sharing is to make bicycles available for short trips.[15] A replacement fee of $1,200 is charged if a rented bike is lost.[15]
Several companies previously operateddockless bicycle sharing systems in the Bay Area,[16][17] however, as of 2024 only Bay Wheels operates dockless bicycles in most of the Bay Area (with some exceptions such as HOPR inFremont).[18] Dockless systems differ from the docked in that bicycles can be parked freely on the street and do not need to be docked at a designated station.
In 2018, several companies started offering docklessscooter-sharing systems in Bay Area cities such as San Francisco and Oakland.[19][20] These systems offer electric kick scooters for rent, similar to dockless bicycle sharing systems. Some operators, such as Lime, operate both scooter and bicycle sharing systems. These shared scooters were temporarily banned in San Francisco during summer 2018, but as of October 15, 2018[update] are available under two operators:Skip andScoot Networks.[21]
The average amount of time people spend commuting with public transit in San Francisco, for example to and from work, on a weekday is 77 min. 23% of public transit riders, ride for more than 2 hours every day. The average amount of time people wait at a stop or station for public transit is 13 min, while 17% of riders wait for over 20 minutes on average every day. The average distance people usually ride in a single trip with public transit is 9.1 km, while 20% travel for over 12 km in a single direction.[22]
A 2011Brookings Institution study ranked theSan Francisco MSA and theSan Jose MSA sixteenth[23] and second,[24] respectively, on transit coverage to job access. Another nationwide study, conducted by theUniversity of Minnesota in 2014, ranked the San Francisco MSA second and San Jose MSA tenth.[25] In 2012 it was the joint winner of theSustainable Transport Award. Despite this, the San Francisco Bay Area remains the second most traffic-congested region in the country with a declining per capita use of public transit.[citation needed]
In 2013, the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward metropolitan statistical area (San Francisco MSA) had the second lowest percentage of workers who commuted by private automobile (69.8 percent), with 7.6 percent of area workers traveling via bus. During the period starting in 2006 and ending in 2013, the San Francisco MSA had the greatest percentage decline of workers commuting by automobile (3.8 percent) among MSAs with more than a half million residents.[26]
The Bay Area possesses an extensive freeway and highway system (although it is not as extensive asSouthern California).
![]() | Interstate 80 San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge | The western terminus of I-80 is located in San Francisco as James Lick Skyway (Bayshore Freeway), just west of theSan Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge. The interstate continues to the east over the bridge, connecting to Oakland and the north coast of the East Bay as the Eastshore Freeway, and then on toSacramento,Reno, andNew Jersey. |
![]() | Interstate 580 Richmond – San Rafael Bridge | This spur route's western terminus is inMarin County. The Interstate crosses the San Pablo Bay over theRichmond-San Rafael Bridge, goes through Richmond as the John T. Knox Freeway, passes through Oakland as the MacArthur Freeway, then continues toLivermore, through theAltamont Pass toTracy, where it intersects withInterstate 5, thus providing a link withSouthern California. |
![]() | Route 92 San Mateo – Hayward Bridge | SR 92's western terminus is inHalf Moon Bay. The two-lane highway crosses theSanta Cruz Mountains, connecting to Interstate 280 and U.S. Route 101 as the J. Arthur Younger Freeway, becoming a freeway as it passes throughSan Mateo before crossing theSan Mateo-Hayward Bridge toHayward as Jackson Street. |
![]() | Route 84 Dumbarton Bridge | SR 84 begins atRoute 1 (at the Pacific Coast) nearSan Gregorio State Beach, and crosses theSanta Cruz Mountains on a scenic route betweenLa Honda andWoodside as Woodside Road. It then crosses the Bay over theDumbarton Bridge fromRedwood City toNewark. The route then passes throughFremont as Thornton Avenue and Peralta Boulevard, continuing asNiles Canyon Road toSunol and Livermore as Vallecitos Road and Isabel Avenue, terminating atInterstate 580 as Airway Boulevard. |
![]() ![]() | Interstate 280 Southern, Junipero Serra, & Sinclair Freeways Highway 101 Bayshore & South Valley Freeways | Eight-lane and, in some parts, 10-lane freeways connecting San Francisco to San Jose through the Peninsula. Highway 101 continues south toGilroy andSalinas, before continuing toLos Angeles. For most of its route I-280 runs along the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, and is very scenic, while 101 is highly urban. |
![]() ![]() | Route 1 Cabrillo Highway Route 35 Skyline Boulevard | Two-lane highways also traveling down the Peninsula, SR 1 along the Pacific coast, and SR 35 near the ridge of theSanta Cruz Mountains. SR 1 as Cabrillo Highway connects to Half Moon Bay,Santa Cruz, andMonterey, before continuing to Los Angeles. |
![]() ![]() | Route 9 Route 17 | Highways through the Santa Cruz Mountains, connecting the South Bay to Santa Cruz. Part of SR 17 in San Jose is a 6 to 8 lane freeway. |
![]() ![]() | Route 85 West Valley Freeway Route 237 Southbay Freeway | Six-lane and, in some parts, seven to eight-lane freeways connecting the west Santa Clara Valley to the east Santa Clara Valley, bypassingDowntown San Jose. |
![]() | Route 87 Guadalupe Freeway | North-south six-lane freeway entirely in San Jose, connectingSan Jose International Airport, Downtown to theAlmaden Valley. (formerly the Guadalupe Parkway) |
![]() | Route 152 | Two-lane highway fromWatsonville, crosses the Santa Cruz Mountains to Gilroy, then crosses theDiablo Range throughPacheco Pass to I-5 nearLos Banos. |
![]() | Route 156 | Two-lane highway connecting theMonterey Peninsula fromCastroville to northernSan Benito County andRoute 152. |
![]() | Route 82 El Camino Real | Highway running from San Jose to Interstate 280 in San Francisco. It is designated a State Route, although it is more similar to an inner-city boulevard, and contains either 2, 4, or 6 lanes. It runs fromDaly City in the north through the Peninsula and beyond. |
The freeway system in Santa Clara county is augmented by theSanta Clara County expressway system.
![]() ![]() | Highway 101 Redwood Highway Route 1 Shoreline Highway | Continue north of San Francisco, crossing theGolden Gate Bridge and connecting San Francisco to Marin and Sonoma counties, and eventually toOregon. They are concurrent between the Golden Gate Bridge andMarin City. |
![]() | Interstate 505 | This interstate highway provides a direct link from Interstate 80 inVacaville in Solano County to I-5, bypassing Sacramento. |
![]() | Route 29 | Four-lane expressway connecting Interstate 80 in Vallejo in Solano County as Sonoma Boulevard to the towns ofAmerican Canyon andNapa. North of Napa, SR 29 is a two-lane rural highway through the towns of the Napa Valley, California'sWine Country, toClear Lake. |
![]() | Route 37 | Four- and two-lane expressway connecting US 101 inNovato with Interstate 80 in Vallejo, along the northern shore of San Pablo Bay. |
![]() | Route 12 Sonoma Highway | A highway connecting Santa Rosa with suburbs to the west and Interstate 80 through Sonoma and Napa to the east. |
![]() ![]() | Interstate 680 Sinclair Freeway Interstate 880 Nimitz Freeway | Two interstate highways that travel up the East Bay from San Jose, 880 close to the bay to Oakland and 680 inland from San Jose north through Fremont,Pleasanton andConcord; then crosses theBenicia-Martinez Bridge and ends atInterstate 80 inFairfield. |
![]() ![]() | Interstate 980 Grover Shafter Freeway Route 24 Grover Shafter Freeway | A freeway entirely inDowntown Oakland and begins atInterstate 880 and travels north to becomeRoute 24 atInterstate 580. The freeway continues north as SR 24, which is a state highway that begins atInterstate 580 in Oakland and travels east through theCaldecott Tunnel toInterstate 680 inWalnut Creek. |
![]() | Interstate 205 | This interstate highway's western terminus is at Interstate 580 in Alameda County just west of theSan Joaquin County line. I-205 heads east throughTracy to I-5, providing access from the Bay Area toStockton and the northernSan Joaquin Valley. |
![]() | Route 13 Warren Freeway | A highway entirely in the Oakland Hills and travels north fromInterstate 580 toRoute 24, where the freeway portion ends. Beyond SR 24, SR 13 is Berkeley's Ashby Avenue. |
![]() ![]() | Interstate 238 Route 238 Mission Boulevard | Anarterial from Fremont to Hayward, along the base of the hills, then becomes a freeway near Oakland. |
![]() | Route 4 John Muir Parkway California Delta Highway | Western terminus atInterstate 80 inHercules, travels east throughMartinez,Pittsburg, andAntioch, where the freeway portion ends. The highway continues toBrentwood and east to Stockton. |
TheAlemany Maze is theinterchange between theJames Lick Freeway (US 101) andI-280.
TheMacArthur Maze is the interchange between theEastshore Freeway (I-80 east /I-580 west),Nimitz Freeway (I-880 south), andMacArthur Freeway (I-580 east) at the east end of theBay Bridge (I-80 west).
TheJoe Colla Interchange is the interchange betweenUS 101,I-280, andI-680. Both I-280 and I-680's southern termini is located as this interchange.[27]
Due to its unique geography, and thefreeway revolts of the late 1950s,[28] San Francisco is one of the few American cities served primarily byarterial roads for most trips within city limits, rather than a freeway network supplemented by arterial roads.[citation needed]
Interstate 80 begins at the approach to theBay Bridge and is the only direct automobile link to the East Bay.U.S. Route 101 connects to the western terminus of Interstate 80 and provides access to the south of the city along San Francisco Bay towardSilicon Valley. Northward, the routing for U.S. 101 uses arterial streetsMission Street (northbound) and South Van Ness Avenue (southbound),Van Ness Avenue,Lombard Street,Richardson Avenue, and Doyle Drive to connect to theGolden Gate Bridge, the only direct automobile link toMarin County and the North Bay.[citation needed]
State Route 1 also enters San Francisco from the north via the Golden Gate Bridge, but turns south away from the routing of U.S. 101, first onto Park Presidio Blvd through Golden Gate Park, and then bisecting the west side of the city as the19th Avenue arterial thoroughfare, joining withInterstate 280 at the city's southern border. Interstate 280 continues south from San Francisco. Interstate 280 also turns to the east along the southern edge of the city, terminating just south of the Bay Bridge in theSouth of Market neighborhood. After the1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, city leaders decided to demolish theEmbarcadero Freeway, and a portion of theCentral Freeway, converting them into street-level boulevards.[28]
State Route 35 enters the city from the south asSkyline Boulevard, following city streets until it terminates at its intersection with Highway 1.State Route 82 enters San Francisco from the south asMission Street, following the path of the historicEl Camino Real and terminating shortly thereafter at its junction with 280. Major east–west thoroughfares includeGeary Boulevard, theLincoln Way/Fell Street corridor, andMarket Street/Portola Drive.[citation needed]
The Western Terminus of the historic transcontinentalLincoln Highway, the first road across America, is in San Francisco'sLincoln Park.[citation needed]
San Francisco is the birthplace of highway revolts in the United States, and highways have historically been approached with hostility by locals across the Bay Area. Protests have occurred against highways as early as 1955, and these protests eventually cancelled the construction of additional highways throughGolden Gate Park and thePresidio, and further led to the demolishing of theEmbarcadero Freeway in the early 1990s.[3][29] Protests additionally occurred throughout the East Bay, cancelling projects such as the Ashby Freeway throughBerkeley and the Richmond Boulevard Freeway in Oakland.[30][31]
1. | Richmond-San Rafael Bridge |
---|---|
2. | Golden Gate Bridge |
3. | San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge |
4. | San Mateo-Hayward Bridge |
5. | Dumbarton Bridge |
6. | Carquinez Bridge |
7. | Benicia–Martinez Bridge |
8. | Antioch Bridge |
Due to the central location of theSan Francisco Bay Area, eighttoll bridges cross the Bay or Bay tributaries. Each of the bridges collect separate tolls, and all of them accept payment throughFasTrak, anelectronic toll collection system used in the state ofCalifornia. Seven of these eight bridges are owned directly by the state of California, while theGolden Gate Bridge is owned and operated by theGolden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District.[32]
Bridge Name | Picture | Connects | Length | Highway |
---|---|---|---|---|
Antioch Bridge | ![]() | Antioch inContra Costa County withSacramento County | 1.8 mi (2.9 km) | SR 160 |
Benicia-Martinez Bridge | ![]() | Solano County with Contra Costa County | 1.7 mi (2.7 km) | I-680 |
Carquinez Bridge | ![]() | Vallejo in Solano County withCrockett in Contra Costa County | 0.66 mi (1.06 km) | I-80 |
Dumbarton Bridge | ![]() | Menlo Park inSan Mateo County withFremont inAlameda County | 1.63 mi (2.62 km) | SR 84 |
Golden Gate Bridge | ![]() | San Francisco withMarin County | 1.7 mi (2.7 km) | US 101,SR 1 |
Richmond-San Rafael Bridge | ![]() | Richmond in Contra Costa County withSan Rafael in Marin County | 5.5 mi (8.9 km) | I-580 |
San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge | ![]() | San Francisco withOakland and theEast Bay | 4.46 mi (7.18 km) | I-80 |
San Mateo-Hayward Bridge | ![]() | San Francisco Peninsula with the East Bay | 7 mi (11 km) | SR 92 |
The San Francisco Bay Trail is a bicycle and pedestrian trail that will eventually allow continuous travel around the shoreline of San Francisco Bay. As of 2016, 350 miles (560 km) of trail have been completed, while the full plan calls for a trail over 500 miles (800 km) long that link the shoreline of nine counties, passing through 47 cities and crossing seven toll bridges. Sections of the Bay Trail exist in all nine Bay Area counties. The longest continuous segments include 26 miles (42 km) primarily on gravel levees betweenEast Palo Alto andSan Jose inSanta Clara County; 25 miles (40 km) inSan Mateo County betweenMillbrae andSan Carlos; 17 miles (27 km) in centralAlameda County fromSan Leandro toHayward; and 15 miles (24 km) along the shoreline and on city streets throughRichmond inContra Costa County. The northernmost trail section passes throughSan Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
ThePort of San Francisco was once the largest and busiest seaport on the West Coast. It featured rows ofpiers perpendicular to the shore, where cargo from the moored ships was handled by cranes and manual labor and transported to nearby warehouses. The port handled cargo to and from trans-Pacific and Atlantic destinations, and was the West Coast center of thelumber trade. The1934 West Coast Longshore Strike, an important episode in the history of theAmerican labor movement, brought most ports to a standstill. The advent ofcontainer shipping made pier-based ports obsolete, and most commercial berths moved to thePort of Oakland andPort of Richmond. A few active berths specializing inbreak bulk cargo remain alongside theIslais Creek Channel.[citation needed]
The port currently usesPier 35 to handle the 60–80cruise ship calls and 200,000 passengers that come toSan Francisco.[33] Itineraries from San Francisco usually include round trip cruises toAlaska andMexico. The James R. Herman Cruise Terminal Project atPier 27 opened in 2014 as a replacement. The previous primary terminal at Pier 35 had neither the sufficient capacity to allow for the increasing length and passenger capacity of new cruise ships nor the amenities needed for an international cruise terminal.[34]
On March 16, 2013,Princess CruisesGrand Princess became the first ship to home port in San Francisco year round. The ship offers cruises to Alaska, California Coasts,Hawaii, and Mexico. Grand Princess will be stationed in San Francisco until April 2014. Princess will also operate other ships during the summer of 2014, making it the only cruise line home porting year round in San Francisco.[35]
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Though Alaska calls Seattle home, the company has hubs in Anchorage, Alaska, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon. Other focus cities include San Diego and San Jose, California.