Broadway Tunnel (San Francisco)
 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Location | San Francisco, California |
| Coordinates | 37°47′49″N 122°24′43″W / 37.797°N 122.412°WCoordinates: 37°47′49″N 122°24′43″W / 37.797°N 122.412°W |
| Route | Broadway |
| Operation | |
| Work begun | May 1, 1950 |
| Opened | December 21, 1952 |
| Owner | City of San Francisco |
| Operator | City of San Francisco |
| Traffic | Automotive and pedestrian |
| Technical | |
| Construction | 20,000 |
| Length | .37 mi (0.60 km) |
| Number of lanes | 4 |
| Operating speed | 40 mph (64 km/h) |
| Tunnel clearance | 13.5 ft (4.1 m) |
The Broadway Tunnel (officially the Robert C. Levy Tunnel) is a roadway tunnel in San Francisco, California. The tunnel opened in 1952, and serves as a high-capacity conduit for traffic between Chinatown and North Beach to the east and Russian Hill and Van Ness to the west. In a proposal of the city's 1948 Transportation Plan, the tunnel was to serve as a link between the Embarcadero Freeway and the Central Freeway.
The Broadway Tunnel was named in honor of Robert C. Levy (1921-1985) in January 1986. Mr. Levy was the City Engineer and Superintendent of Building Inspection for the City and County of San Francisco. A plaque outside the tunnel reads, "He devoted his life to high standards of professionalism in engineering and to the City which he loved."
The east portal is located at 37.797,-122.412, just past the Mason Street overpass. The west portal is located at 37.796,-122.418, just before the Hyde Street overpass. Combined with these two overpasses, the tunnel provides for uninterrupted traffic flow along Broadway for a stretch of six blocks, between Powell Street on the east and Larkin Street on the west.
There is also a narrow sidewalk on both sides of the tunnel.
See also
References
- De Leuw, Cather and Company (1948). A Report to the City Planning Commission on a Transportation Plan for San Francisco. OCLC 7431642.
- Kevin Wallace (21 December 1952). "The City's Tunnels: When S.F. Can't Go Over, It Goes Under Its Hills". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 1 September 2010.