Drivers in San Francisco had to use alternate routes to get around southbound lanes of Highway 101 at Hospital Curve over the weekend. All southbound lanes and one northbound lane of Highway 101 at Hospital Curve were closed from 17th Street to Cesar Chavez. The closure to repave Highway 101 is p art of a wider rehabilitation project. “They’re making tremendous progress,” Caltrans spokesperson Pedro Quintana said. “This is a 24-hour operation, so crews were in there getting all that old pavement. We had another crew coming in compacting that dirt, asphalt, bringing in that rebar.” As drivers took alternative routes, Caltrans saw a 21% increase in traffic volume on the San Mateo Bridge and a 28% decrease on the Bay Bridge. The highway was expected to open early Monday morning. Another big closure is coming in less than a week. “We have a major full freeway closure on the weekend of Oct. 23. We will be closing all lanes on westbound Interstate 80 from Fifth Street into 15th Street here in the city of San Francisco,” Quintana said. This is to allow for a polyester overlay on the bridge deck to make it more resilient for the next 40 years. Caltrans is watching the weather but is asking drivers to find an alternate route or use public transit. Drivers could exit at Fifth Street and detour or use Interstate 280. “We just want to tell folks, again, just to pack their patience,” Quintana said. “We understand there is never a good time to close a major freeway, but if we get this work done, we will be out of their hair by the winter months.” ...read more read less