Significant SoMa Road Closures and Super Bowl Sunday Delays

Major Events Trigger Extensive Downtown Closures
San Francisco motorists and residents should prepare for a challenging Sunday as the city manages significant road closures and a surge in regional travel for Super Bowl LX. Although the championship game is being held in Santa Clara, San Francisco serves as a primary hub for festivities, resulting in several long-term and temporary traffic shifts that will impact the morning and afternoon commute.
SoMa and Civic Center Road Impacts
The South of Market (SoMa) district remains the most heavily impacted area. The following closures are in effect today:
- Howard Street: Closed between 3rd and 4th Streets. This section is dedicated to event infrastructure and is not scheduled to reopen until February 10.
- 4th Street: Only Muni and local access are permitted between Market and Howard Streets from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. today.
- Mission Street: Restricted to local access only between 4th and 5th Streets.
- Lane Reductions: Expect significant lane closures on 3rd Street between Harrison and Stevenson, and on Folsom Street between 3rd and Mabini.
In the Civic Center area, the full closures on Jones Street (between McAllister and Golden Gate) and McAllister Street (between Jones and 7th) were scheduled to lift at 7:00 a.m. this morning. However, commuters should expect residual delays and a heavy police presence as crews finish clearing the area.
Public Transport and Regional Transit
Public transportation is strongly recommended for anyone traveling through the downtown core today. To accommodate the high volume of passengers, the SFMTA has implemented several service enhancements:
- Muni Subway: Extra shuttle train service is running between West Portal and Embarcadero stations.
- Central Subway: Additional service is available between Chinatown-Rose Pak Station and Mission Bay.
- BART: The system is operating on a standard Sunday schedule for most of the day; however, modernization work will cause delays of up to 30 minutes between Millbrae, SFO, and San Bruno starting at 9:00 p.m. tonight.
Highways and Long-Term Construction
Travelers heading south toward Levi's Stadium should anticipate heavy congestion on US-101 and I-280, particularly between noon and the 3:30 p.m. kickoff. The California Highway Patrol has increased patrols on these arteries to manage the influx of game-day traffic. Within the city, motorists should also remain cautious on 19th Avenue due to an ongoing major repaving project in the Sunset District, and on Howard Street near the Embarcadero where the Transbay Streetscape project continues to cause intermittent lane shifts.