New I-80 Freeway “Urban Forest” Coming to SF in 2023

Thanks to the SF Examiner for letting us know that the litter-strewn entrance to the Bay Bridge in SoMa is soon going to be converted into an “urban forest” and tree nursery which will take root (he he) new freeway offramps.

According to the San Francisco Department of Public Works, the currently mostly unused space in between the freeway ramps will be transformed into a patch of living green where young street trees (up to 1,000 at a time) will be grown to replenish our urban forest.

See the Project Newsletter [PDF] and renderings from SF Public Works

The trees will be cycled out when they’re mature enough to be planted in neighborhoods around the City that currently suffer from low tree canopy cover.  The space will also include a community garden and flexible space for staging or artwork. The nursery will be set adjacent to the busy freeway ramps near Fifth and Bryant that serve I-80 – an area considered to be a neighborhood eyesore and often blemished with trash and graffiti.

The 14,000 square foot parcel will also include a community garden. Construction on the project, which received $2.9 million in Caltrans and city funding, is expected begin this spring and wrap up in fall 2023.