Part 12 – Ready to Build a Highway

While the Dept. of Public Works, Division of Highways, District IV negotiated for the western sections of San Francisco for Highway 280, the link with the newly created Highway 101 had already shown progress on Sept. 12, 1960, west view.

L290-02-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 7679-1, (Image 1 of 27)

Marked on this detail from the previous west view from Sept. 12, 1960 are the future location of the Glen Park BART station, turquoise line, and the road bed of the Southern Pacific, SP, San Bruno Branch right-of way, red arrow. The construction has progressed to two highway abutments placed on the south side of San Jose Ave., marked by the green arrows.

L290-05-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 7679-1 Final, (Image 2 of 27)

Ahead to Mar. 13, 1962, this east view of the future 101-280 interchange is making progress. At this point in time, the new highway was being referred to officially as Highway 225, sometimes adding additionally 101 to denote its previous designation, but the term Southern Freeway was most commonly noted in District IV documents. A detail is shown next.

L290-10-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 8743-3, (Image 3 of 27)

This detail from the previous east view from Mar. 13, 1962 shows that the eastern-most section of Highway 280 ends above Highway 101. As for Highway 101, a nice set of images of its construction in the 1950s may be found at FoundSF.

L290-15-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 8743-3, Detail, (Image 4 of 27)

Also from Mar. 13, 1962, a northeast view showing the cleared out zone for the new highway meeting San Jose Ave. in Glen Park. A detail follows.

L290-20-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 8743-1, (Image 5 of 27)

The portion of SP right-of-way abandoned in 1949 between Circular Ave. and San Jose Ave. is starting to show excavation activity, the red arrow pointing to a bulldozer in this detail from the previous northeast view from Mar. 13, 1962.

L290-25-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 8743-1, Detail, (Image 6 of 27)

Facing the southwest, continuing with the series from Mar. 13, 1962, excavation along Circular Ave. and the SP right-of-way has progressed to the City College-Balboa Park north border.

L290-30-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 8743-2, (Image 7 of 27)

This detail from the previous southwest view from Mar. 13, 1962 shows excavation just to Havelock St. To the southwest, there is no obvious evidence of any highway-related work, but changes had already occurred to prepare for the impending construction.

L290-35-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 8743-2, Detail, (Image 8 of 27)

The left panel is a southwest view from Mar. 31, 1953 of the SP branch crossing at Ocean Ave. Note the tripartite Junior Recreation Museum, and the empty lot across Ocean Ave. that would soon be occupied by Lick-Wilmerding High School. On the right, construction work is recorded at this location in a west view from Oct. 17, 1962.

L290-40-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3326-15, left, 9238-12, right, (Image 9 of 27)

The northeast view on the left taken near Tara St. and Geneva Ave. from Oct. 17, 1962 is easy to locate set alongside Roy Proffer’s Aug. 12, 1957 photo at Elkton shared previously. The trees mark the spot, plus a little slice of Lick-Wilmerding High School shows at the left border. Credits: Left, Copyright California Department of Transportation, 9238-2; Right, Roy Proffer Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 49871muni

L290-45-Multiple Attributions, (Image 10 of 27)

After studying the previous northeast view on the left from Oct. 17, 1962, just imagine heading a bit further southwest and capturing this image from Mt. Vernon Ave. toward Niagara Ave. of the Muni paint shop building lined by buses, a topic covered in the last update in this series.

L290-50-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 9238-9, (Image 11 of 27)

To address whether any SP San Bruno Branch track still remained within San Francisco on Oct. 17, 1962, this detail from the previous northeast view south of Ocean Ave. provides an unequivocal yes, albeit the rails now a place for weeds by this time.

L290-55-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 9238-9, Detail, (Image 12 of 27)

Continuing to the south along the branch line to Nahua Ave., the San Jose Ave. overpass that at one time crossed over two tracks is encountered, seen here without any tracks in a northeast view on Oct. 17, 1962.

L290-60-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 9238-4, (Image 13 of 27)

Continuing on the line as it preceded along the shelf below San Jose Ave. and above Alemany Blvd., this northeast view was recorded at the level of Foote Ave. on Oct. 17, 1962.

L290-65-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 9238-3, (Image 14 of 27)

Moving further south, those big trees should invoke a memory of the update on Cayuga Park, sitting below the railroad shelf in this northeast view from Oct. 17, 1962. If in doubt, check out the next detail.

L290-70-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 9238-5, (Image 15 of 27)

A detail from the northeast view from Oct. 17, 1962 contains Balboa High School in the left portion of the image, and the phone company building close to the right edge, with Bernal Heights filling the background.

L290-75-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 9238-5, (Image 16 of 27)

This northeast view from Oct. 17, 1962 shows the SP right-of-way coming in along the trees and crossing Lawrence Ave. Although there wasn’t a formal grade crossing of the branch line mainline and team track during railroad operation, aerials already reviewed show that autos use to cross the tracks. In this view, the road had been completed, but soon to be buried under highway. The street running off the left edge is San Jose Ave., meaning behind the photographer would be Sickles Ave. where the SP crossed San Jose Ave.

L290-80-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 9238-6, (Image 17 of 27)

Any doubts about the information just provided will be erased by this detail from the previous northeast view from Oct. 17, 1962. The main street here is San Jose Ave. The red arrow points to the turn of the 20th century Victorian at 2818 San Jose Ave. that is still standing in 2023, and the street signs for Lawrence Ave. and Sadowa St. seal the deal.

L290-85-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 9238-6, Detail, (Image 18 of 27)

The next view from Oct. 17, 1962 is from the SP crossings of San Jose Ave. at Sickles Ave., the view on the left facing southwest. For comparison, the panel on the right showing the same area circa 1956-1957 was shown previously.

L290-90-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 9238-8, left, Folder 1197, right, (Image 19 of 27)

The last view in this series from Oct. 17, 1962 is a west view taken at the level of Capitol Ave., east of Alemany Blvd. and Crystal St., that intersection seen close to the left edge marked by the street sign for the latter. The second car from the left has just crossed the SP track still surviving in the asphalt at the Alemany Blvd. grade crossing.

L290-95-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 9238-7, (Image 20 of 27)

This detail from the previous west view from Oct. 17, 1962 shows the remaining SP track embedded in the asphalt at Alemany Blvd.

L290-100-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 9238-7, Detail, (Image 21 of 27)

District IV had taken three other ground images one day earlier on Oct. 16, 1962 at the three points indicated by the arrows in this southwest aerial from Mar. 31, 1953. The red arrow marks the west side of the SP-Alemany Blvd. grade crossing featured in the previous two images, the turquoise arrow marks a spot across from the hot houses and water tank west of the San Diego Ave.-SP crossing, and the green arrow marks the San Francisco-San Mateo Counties border at San Mateo Ave. The ground images follow.

L290-105-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3326-3, (Image 22 of 27)

This west view from Oct. 16, 1962 at the west side of the SP-Alemany Blvd. grade crossing is another confirmation of remaining rail as indicated two images back.

L290-110-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 9236-3, (Image 23 of 27)

This northeast view looks back at the hot houses, the water tank, and, along the right edge, a storage building, all visible in the last aerial view, L290-105. The former landmarks were separated from the railroad by the wooden fence seen in the image, meaning the metal fence visible here ran across the former railroad right-of-way, the latter parallel to the wooden fence. The next aerial view should help appreciate this better.

L290-115-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 9236-2, (Image 24 of 27)

This northwest view from Mar. 31, 1953 has an arrow situated where the photographer of the previous ground image had been standing and the direction they were facing when taking that image.

L290-120-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3326-2, (Image 25 of 27)

The final southwest-directed ground image taken on Oct. 16, 1962 brings this review to the San Francisco-San Mateo Counties border at San Mateo Ave., the SP branch track still intact the rest of the way south to San Bruno. It would have to be removed in short order to construct the then terminal Daly City BART station just around the bend.

L290-125-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 9236-1, (Image 26 of 27)

This detail of the previous southwest view is added to provide more details of the Westlake District of Daly City. The next update will feature aerials from 1963-1969 to show the actual construction of the majority of the highway into San Mateo County.

L290-130-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 9236-1, Detail, (Image 27 of 27)