Major Lane Closures on US-101 and I-80 Expected to Snarl Weekend Traffic

Major Freeway Projects Kick Off Late Tonight

San Francisco commuters should prepare for significant disruptions starting late tonight, Friday, March 6, 2026, as Caltrans initiates major rehabilitation work on several key arteries. The most impactful project involves the U.S. 101 'Hospital Curve' rehabilitation. Starting late this evening, two fast lanes in both the northbound and southbound directions will be closed between Candlestick Park and Silver Avenue. These closures are scheduled to remain in effect until early Monday morning, marking the first of three consecutive weekends of intensive work designed to upgrade drainage systems and median barriers.

In addition to the 101 delays, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge (I-80) will see significant activity. Westbound lanes 4 and 5 are slated for closure from 8:00 p.m. tonight until 4:00 a.m. Saturday morning for the ongoing Baylights Project near Treasure Island. Simultaneously, the Eastbound I-80 West Span joint rehabilitation project will require the closure of lanes 1 and 2 from 11:00 p.m. until 7:00 a.m. tomorrow. Motorists are advised to expect heavy congestion near the Rincon Hill and Yerba Buena Island transitions and should consider alternate routes like the San Mateo Bridge if traveling across the bay.

Downtown and Chinatown Event Preparations

Surface street traffic in the downtown core will also face restrictions as the city prepares for the Lunar New Year celebrations. Starting at 11:00 p.m. tonight, several blocks will be closed to all vehicle traffic for parade setup and takedown. Key closures include:

• Grant Avenue between California Street and Broadway
• Pacific Avenue between Columbus Avenue and Stockton Street
• Jackson and Washington streets between Stockton and Kearny streets
• All associated alleys within the California, Stockton, Broadway, and Kearny boundary

Motorists traveling through the Richmond and Sunset districts should also remain alert, following recent police activity involving stunt driving enforcement near 32nd Avenue and Clement Street. While the immediate incident has been cleared, a high police presence remains in the area.

Public Transport and Chase Center Alerts

For those attending the Brandi Carlile concert at the Chase Center tonight, the show begins at 7:00 p.m. with doors opening at 6:00 p.m. SFMTA will provide supplemental 78X Arena Express shuttle service from the 16th Street BART Station to the venue. In a bit of good news for transit riders, BART has announced that the previously scheduled rail destressing work on the Yellow Line for March 5-6 has been postponed until later this month, meaning normal service levels are expected throughout the evening. However, passengers using Clipper vending machines are reminded that a card 'hold' rather than a 'tap' is currently required due to ongoing system upgrades.