Caltrans Closes Southbound Highway 101 at Hospital Curve in San Francisco for Weekend Repaving

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will close all southbound lanes and one northbound lane of Highway 101 through the Hospital Curve corridor in San Francisco this weekend for intensive roadway repaving. The 55-hour highway closure begins at 11:00 PM on Friday, October 16, and will remain in effect until 6:00 AM on Monday, October 19. Construction zones will span the busy freeway segment between 17th Street and Cesar Chavez Street, requiring regional motorists to plan alternate travel routes across the Peninsula and East Bay.

Throughout the weekend shutdown, heavy engineering crews will mill worn pavement and install durable new roadway surfaces across the southbound lanes of Highway 101. Caltrans transportation officials noted that this weekend's operation represents the third full-weekend directional closure in a broader highway rehabilitation program that began in fall 2025 to modernize aging urban freeway decks. A fourth and final weekend closure in the construction series is currently scheduled to begin on Friday, November 6, completing the multi-phase corridor upgrade.

To avoid severe traffic bottlenecks approaching the Potrero Hill and Mission District interchanges, Caltrans strongly advised southbound travelers heading toward San Mateo County, Silicon Valley, and San Francisco International Airport to use Interstate 280 throughout the weekend. Motorists arriving in San Francisco from Oakland, Berkeley, and Contra Costa County via the Bay Bridge should exit onto Interstate 80 and connect directly to southbound Interstate 280 rather than merging onto southbound Highway 101. One northbound lane on Highway 101 will also be closed between Cesar Chavez and 17th streets to provide a safety buffer for construction equipment.

Municipal transit planners with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and county emergency dispatchers have coordinated street-level traffic management along Potrero Avenue, Bayshore Boulevard, and Guerrero Street to keep local bus lines and ambulances moving smoothly. Previous weekend closures in the rehabilitation series demonstrated that early driver diversion onto Interstate 280 significantly reduces neighborhood spillover congestion. All southbound freeway lanes are scheduled to reopen in time for the Monday, October 19 morning commute at 6:00 AM.

Bay Area drivers and weekend travelers can monitor real-time freeway detour maps, electronic message board alerts, and November 6 final closure schedules online at dot.ca.gov or by calling 511. Questions regarding the Highway 101 rehabilitation program may be directed to the Caltrans District 4 public information office in Oakland at (510) 286-4444.