Changes in the Presidio

As you know, I spend a fair amount of time in the Presidio, especially down near the Bay at Crissy Field. With a fine beach, views, and a large grassy field where I can go off leash, Crissy Field is one of my favorite places, as it is for my guardians and their family, neighbors, and friends.

This past weekend was a watershed for Crissy Field and a former elevated 5 lane roadway that paralleled Crissy Field just a few yards away, Doyle Drive. I say former and paralleled because it was and did but doesn’t – beginning last Friday at 8PM and continuing until

View on Saturday of lots of machines & rubble - NE toward Crissy Field lagoon & E Beach

5AM this morning, with a large staff of people and machines working around the clock, Doyle Drive was torn down!

Constructed in 1936, Doyle Drive was the route most vehicles used to reach the Golden Gate Bridge. It carried around 100,000 vehicles/day, and most of those were heading to or from the Bridge.

(Sidebar: Doyle Drive was constructed for Golden Gate Bridge traffic – the Bridge itself was completed a year after Doyle Drive in 1937, and a festival for its 75th anniversary is planned for May 27th. http://goldengatebridge75.org/ )

Doyle Drive will be replaced by a remodeled roadway, termed the Presidio Parkway. The 6 year project began in 2009 and is planned to cost just over $1 billion. See http://www.presidioparkway.org

View north Sat 4/28/12

Doyle Drive was 76 years old. Improved seismic and traffic safety were the drivers of this project.

Much of my weekend exercise revolved around a couple of long walks to inspect the demolition efforts. I did the longest on Saturday with one of my guardians and her sister, who was our houseguest for several days (and also is one of my friend’s, Cece, guardians). The sisters mainly collaborated on family photos and archives when not studying recipes, cooking, or interacting with me.

For several days the demolition effort has been the biggest news around here, with TV shows broadcasting live and often using helicopters to supplement their ground crew. On our walk Saturday, one of the local stations, KTVU Channel 2, approached my companions and me and filmed an interview with my guardian – it screened on the 10 PM news.

It was mega-fun to be part of such a major happening!