Work begun May 1, 1950 Operator City of San Francisco Owner San Francisco | Constructed 20,000 Route Broadway Number of lanes 4 | |
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Location San Francisco, California Opened December 21, 1952; 64 years ago (1952-12-21) Traffic Automotive and pedestrian | ||
The Broadway Tunnel (officially the Robert C. Levy Tunnel) is a roadway tunnel in San Francisco, California. The tunnel opened in 1952, and serves as a high-capacity conduit for traffic between Chinatown and North Beach to the east and Russian Hill and Van Ness to the west. In a proposal of the city's 1948 Transportation Plan, the tunnel was to serve as a link between the Embarcadero Freeway and the Central Freeway.
Map of Robert C Levy Tunnel, San Francisco, CA, USA
The Broadway Tunnel was named in honor of Robert C. Levy (1921-1985) in January 1986. Mr. Levy was the City Engineer and Superintendent of Building Inspection for the City and County of San Francisco. A plaque outside the tunnel reads, "He devoted his life to high standards of professionalism in engineering and to the City which he loved."
The east portal is located at 37.797,-122.412, just east of the Mason Street overpass. The west portal is located at 37.796,-122.418, just east of the Hyde Street overpass. Combined with these two overpasses, the tunnel provides for uninterrupted traffic flow along Broadway for a stretch of six blocks, between Powell Street on the east and Larkin Street on the west.
There is also a narrow sidewalk on both sides of the tunnel.