San Francisco Embarcadero Freeway

I took these pictures a decade apart. I was shocked when I ran across the older image at the difference an ugly freeway can make. They were demolishing it after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake leveled the similar Cypress Freeway in Oakland, killing many people. San Franciscans hated this freeway. The Chronicle's Herb Caen called it the 'Dambarcadero Freeway. Now the pathway along it's route is called "Herb Caen Way."

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Comments

BellaGaia says:

i remember that old freeway, it was such a wierd tunnelly thing that dropped you off all out of the way from where you wnated to be. Much cleaner lookig now. Long Live the Bay Area!
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

vision63 says:

Long Live! Much nicer now. At one point I think it was supposed to go all the way over to the Golden Gate Bridge. That would have been a mess.
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

ChicagoEye says:

this transformation is the most commonly-cited example on things that can be done to breathe new life into cities--and rightly so. But I've never seen a pair of photos this good showing the change.
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

ronwired says:

yea, it has really changed, but you mightt have to update it after this weekend....
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

vision63 says:

I'd rather they breath new life into old cities by breathing new life into our indigent and poverty classes. Otherwise, it's just window dressing.
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

vision63 says:

Thanks for the fave mrsrichardson823!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

stefrich823 says:

vision63, this photo is amazing. I used to work right across the street. My office was between California and Davis but my window out faced the ferry building. Anyway, I was always down here at the farmers market and taking walks. I was 10 when the '89 quake happened and remember riding on the embarcadero freeway when we'd go visit relatives in the city all the time. Wow, this photo really shows how times have changed.
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

vision63 says:

You just always hope that they change for the better. For the more peaceful.
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

bearman38 says:

Thank you, thank you. I have been looking for before and after shots, and have not found many at all. This is what I wanted to see. And yes, this was supposed to be built around the shoreline all the way to the Golden Gate, along with about 8 other elevated freeways criss-crossing the city. Once this portion was started in the 50s, the public cried for no more, so that is why it was incomplete, and the other freeways were cancelled. As for the urban change by taking ugly elevated freeways away, take a look at the Boston Big Dig here on Flickr. I find myself amazed regarding the changes for both of these "projects." Thanks for sharing!
Posted 27 months ago. ( permalink )

bigmikelakers says:

Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Bay Area Freeways and Highways, and we'd love to have this added to the group!
Posted 17 months ago. ( permalink )

B4igo says:

The memories!
Posted 12 months ago. ( permalink )

vision63 says:

Hey thanks guys. bigmikelakers, I didn't notice the invite until now. Thanks.
Posted 12 months ago. ( permalink )

KQED.Radio says:

Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Memories of the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake and we would love to have this added to the group!
Posted 5 months ago. ( permalink )

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Taken on August 29, 2006
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San Francisco Embarcadero Freeway

Comments

BellaGaia says:

vision63 says:

ChicagoEye says:

ronwired says:

vision63 says:

vision63 says:

stefrich823 says:

vision63 says:

bearman38 says:

bigmikelakers says:

B4igo says:

vision63 says:

KQED.Radio says:

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