Drivers heading south through San Francisco this weekend will lose Highway 101 for more than two days. Caltrans is closing all southbound lanes of the Bayshore Freeway's Hospital Curve, the stretch that bends past Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, so crews can repave it.

When and where

The closure starts at 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, and all southbound lanes are due to reopen by 6 a.m. Monday, Oct. 19. Caltrans says every southbound lane will be closed between Cesar Chavez Street and 17th Street, a stretch KQED describes as about 1.2 miles. One northbound lane will also be closed, though the rest of northbound 101 stays open. Caltrans' project page also lists the westbound I-80 connector to northbound 101 as closed that weekend.

Caltrans spokesperson Lori Shepherd told KQED the closure will have "a major, major impact," with delays across the city, not just on the freeway. She said the worst backups are likely around Cesar Chavez and 17th streets, Potrero Avenue and the on-ramps to I-280. The closure will especially affect people driving from the East Bay or North Bay to the Peninsula, the South Bay and San Francisco International Airport.

The detours

Caltrans' main advice is to skip southbound 101 and use southbound I-280. According to the routes Caltrans shared with KQED:

  • Already on southbound 101 in the city: exit early and take Van Ness Avenue or Guerrero Street south to I-280. If you miss those, take the Fourth Street exit, turn right on Fourth, right on King Street, and get on southbound I-280.
  • Coming off the Bay Bridge on westbound I-80: take the Fifth Street exit, turn left on Fifth, right on Brannan, left on Sixth and get on southbound I-280.
  • Missed Fifth Street: take the Ninth Street/Civic Center exit, continue on Harrison, turn left on 10th Street, bear right on Potrero Avenue and keep going to the southbound 101 on-ramp past the work zone.

Caltrans is also urging people to use public transit to get through the city that weekend. Real-time conditions are on Caltrans QuickMap and 511.

Game 1 at Chase Center

The timing is rough for basketball fans. The Golden State Valkyries host the Atlanta Dream in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Saturday, Oct. 17, at Chase Center in Mission Bay, and I-280 is one of the main ways to reach the arena. KQED warns that the I-280 detour could be much busier than usual, so fans driving in should leave extra time or take Muni, BART or Caltrain instead.

Why the long closure

This is the third full weekend closure on the Hospital Curve and the first of two to repave the southbound side. The fourth and final full closure is set for 11 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, to 6 a.m. Monday, Nov. 9, weather permitting. It replaces an Oct. 2-5 closure that was postponed. Shepherd told KQED the repaving runs around the clock and needs dry fall weather, which is why the work can't be squeezed into overnight shifts.

The closures are part of a two-year, 15.4-lane-mile rehabilitation of 101 between Candlestick Point and the Mission District that began in fall 2025. Caltrans says the concrete on the roughly 70-year-old freeway is at the end of its service life, and the work will also replace drainage and the median barrier so the road is smoother and less likely to flood. The full project is expected to be finished in 2028.