Along Ocean Beach, the Upper Great Highway has been many things to San Francisco. The stretch of coastline was once home to attractions like Playland at the Beach, where generations of San Franciscans made memories. During COVID-19, it became a lifeline for residents seeking outdoor activities. On April 12, 2025, after debates, a recall election and a citywide ballot measure, Sunset Dunes, a two-mile coastal park, became a reality for San Francisco residents.
UGH Compromise Supporters File Paperwork to Gather Signatures to Put Issue on November Ballot
On Friday, Feb. 20, proponents for restoring a previous compromise to share the Upper Great Highway submitted at the SF Department of Elections their intent to gather signatures to put the issue before San Francisco voters in the November election.
Effort Underway to Send UGH Compromise Back to Voters
Despite losing at the ballot box and in court, those opposed to banning private motor vehicles on the Upper Great Highway between Lincoln Way and Sloat Boulevard plan to start gathering signatures for another ballot measure in November.
Supervisor Wong Supports Putting UGH Issue on Ballot
Newly-appointed District 4 Supervisor Alan Wong is calling out some supporters of the Sunset Dunes park who claimed he had not meaningfully engaged with them before announcing his support of a ballot measure that would return the question of the future of the Upper Great Highway to San Francisco ballots.
Independence Day Parade and Celebration Held at Sunset Dunes
A crowd of revelers adorned in festive patriotic apparel basked in sushine as they gathered on the former Upper Great Highway to celebrate the second annual Fourth of July parade, at the newly christened Sunset Dunes park.
Proposition K Fallout: Lawsuit Against Upper Great Highway Closure Advances
A lawsuit against the City of San Francisco alleging the closure of the Upper Great Highway to make way for Sunset Dunes park was done improperly is moving forward.
Lawsuit Against Upper Great Highway Closure Advances
A lawsuit against the City of San Francisco alleging the closure of the Upper Great Highway to make way for Sunset Dunes park was done improperly is moving forward.
Big Crowd Witnesses Turning Upper Great Highway Into Sunset Dunes
Before Proposition K was on the ballot, another westside promenade stirred fervor in westsiders. Three years ago, in April of 2022, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors established a permanently car-free John F. Kennedy (JFK) Drive in Golden Gate Park, after voters voted to keep JFK walkable, as it was during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and most weekends out of the year before that. Five years later, it is difficult to imagine that the mile-and-a-half stretch was once one of the City’s major arteries for cars.
Lawsuit Against Closing UGH to Be Heard in June
A lawsuit challenging the closure of San Francisco’s Upper Great Highway (UGH) to vehicle traffic will be heard in a civil court in June.
Sunset Supe May Face Recall Over Great Highway Closure
Following the passing of Proposition K, a controversial ballot measure which now will turn the Upper Great Highway into a full-time city park, a group of westside residents are beginning their attempt to recall District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio, who advocated for the measure to be on the ballot.
After Prop. K, What Is Next for the Upper Great Highway?
Despite being shot down by approximately 60% of Sunset District and 70% of Richmond District voters, the measure passed citywide by 54.7%, with support coming mostly from the City’s eastside residents.
Now, the City is quickly working to fully activate the space as a “car-free promenade” by early next year. On Nov. 21, the City was awarded a $1 million grant from the California State Coastal Conservancy to fund art projects, water fountains, trash bins, event programming and dune restoration.
Fate of the Upper Great Highway Debated
The debate over the fate of the Upper Great Highway (UGH) between Lincoln Way and Sloat Boulevard continues, with public radio station KALW recently hosting a forum on Aug. 20 at its downtown studio about Proposition K, a November ballot measure to permanently ban private motor vehicle traffic with the expectation of eventually turning it into an oceanfront park.
Crowd Protests Plan to Close Upper Great Highway
More than 100 people lined the steps in front of City Hall on July 23 to protest against permanently closing the Upper Great Highway for motor vehicle traffic between Lincoln Way and Sloat Boulevard.
Voters to Decide Fate of Upper Great Highway
This November, city voters may decide if the Upper Great Highway between Lincoln Way and Sloat Boulevard will be closed permanently and replaced with an oceanfront park, although opposition to the ballot measure is already forming.
Closure of Great Highway Near Zoo Gets OK From SFPUC
The end of the road is on the horizon for a section of the Great Highway between Sloat and Skyline boulevards, after a unanimous vote by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) on Oct. 10.
Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon 