Doyle Drive demolition right on schedule

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The massive effort to demolish Doyle Drive is off to a smooth start, and the temporary bypass will be ready in time for Monday morning rush hour, according to transportation officials.

Workers are more than halfway through the major demolition work. The approach to the Golden Gate Bridge closed Friday night at 8 p.m. and will remain closed all weekend. It's scheduled to re-open at 5 a.m. Monday.

Constructions crews have been working around the clock in 12-hour shifts to make sure the demolition project stays on schedule.

The teardown is taking place simultaneously at six locations on Doyle Drive, covering about 3,000 feet of roadway.

Presidio Parkway spokesperson Molly Graham said Saturday that everything was going according to schedule.

"I've talked to the construction crew and they're on target with the thousands of feet of demolition so they've really accomplished a lot," she said.

There will be about 65,000 tons of debris hauled off and recycled by the time the massive project is finished.

Getting around

Signs are up all over the city this weekend warning drivers that Doyle Drive is closed.

If you have to cross the Golden Gate Bridge, Caltrans recommends taking Park Presidio Boulevard. To help ease traffic, southbound traffic on Park Presidio is being allowed to turn left on Geary Boulevard and California Street.

Impatient drivers struck out on their own Saturday to seek alternate detours. The route from Marina Boulevard through Crissy Field was a popular, but slow moving one.

Many heeded the warning and avoided the situation all together. Caltrans reported a 50 percent drop in traffic coming into and out of the city Friday night after Doyle Drive shut down.

At Beetlenut restaurant in the Marina, managers say Friday night was slower than usual. And at Liverpool Lil's, which is just two blocks from the Richardson Avenue portion of the closure, the patio was full. But inside, it was anything but.

"People are avoiding the area because so much has been said. It?s not going to be good here for this weekend," said Ed Wocher, a host at the restaurant.

Commuters who want to avoid the confusion all together can leave the car at home and take a ferry.

Golden Gate Transit says extra shuttle times and water vessels have been added to the ferry schedule to accommodate the anticipated increase in passengers.

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