Sunset Dunes fight may finally be over
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Pedestrians walk through Sunset Dunes. Photo: Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images.
After six years, three ballot measures and a supervisor recall, San Francisco's fight over the Upper Great Highway and Sunset Dunes may finally be winding down.
Why it matters: The dispute has become one of SF's most divisive battles over how to balance public space and neighborhood traffic.
Driving the news: Voters this week overwhelmingly rejected Proposition G, which would've reopened the Upper Great Highway to vehicles on weekdays.
- Supporters of opening the highway haven't announced any renewed effort since the election.
This SF Chronicle precinct map showcases the geographic divide in Prop G sentiment.
- Precincts directly along the Upper Great Highway voted no while pockets just inland voted yes. Support shifted back to no farther into the city.
Catch up quick: What started as a pandemic-era street closure turned into a six-year political fight.
- 2020: San Francisco closed the Upper Great Highway to cars during the COVID-19 pandemic, giving residents space for socially distanced recreation.
- 2021–2022: The city restored weekday vehicle access. In November 2022, 65% of San Francisco voters rejected full vehicle access under Proposition I.
- 2024–2025: 55% of voters approved permanently converting the highway into a park under Prop. K, and Sunset Dunes opened in April 2025.
State of play: The park's future became a central point of contention on the city's west side, leading to the recall last year of District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio over his support for Prop K.
- Engardio's successor, Supervisor Alan Wong, failed to secure support for a measure to reopen the road.
- Neighborhood activists gathered more than 15,000 signatures to put weekday vehicle access on the most recent ballot as Prop. G.
Zoom in: Throughout the fight, Sunset residents have raised concerns about the road closure's impact on daily commutes and surrounding street safety.
- With 91% of Sunset neighbor households owning or leasing a car, some residents say the closure has pushed traffic onto neighborhood streets.
- A Chronicle analysis found the largest traffic impacts on commutes between the Outer Richmond and Outer Sunset.
The other side: The highway's role as a regional commuter route had already diminished with the looming closure of other portions of the Great Highway, Eliza Panike, field director for No on G and a Sunset resident, told Axios.
- Sunset Dunes attracts thousands of visitors daily.
- "It's a really special place that should be treasured, and should invite people to come and enjoy their time there, which is what Sunset Dunes does and what the Great Highway didn't," Panike said.