Regional Navigation

• Arizona
• Baja California
• California
• Hawaii
• Nevada
• Oregon
• Washington

Interstate 280 South - San Francisco City / County

Interstate 280 south
	Westbound King Street transitions directly onto Interstate 280 south at the 5th Street traffic signal near AT&T Park in the South Beach district of the city and county of San Francisco. The city of San Francisco is the only city-county combined jurisdiction in the state of California. Due to its location on a peninsula surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, Golden Gate, and San Francisco Bay, fog is common especially in summer months when colder oceanic area collides with hot dry air from inland (Central Valley). The city also sits near the San Andreas Fault, which spans the state of California and is capable of producing a large-scale earthquake. San Francisco was founded in 1776 and incorporated on April 15, 1850. The city is home to a large minority population (including immigrants) and is likely the most densely populated city in California. As of the 2000 Census, San Francisco was home to 776,733 people, but that figure has dropped per 2006 estimates (744,041 people per State & County QuickFacts for San Francisco City / County. Photo taken 11/26/04.
	A freeway entrance shield assembly marks the transition from westbound King Street to southbound Interstate 280/John Foran (Southern) Freeway). Interstate 280 immediately ascends onto a viaduct, and the route remains elevated until after passing through the Alemany Maze interchange (U.S. 101). Photo taken 11/26/04.
	Both directions of nascent Interstate 280 carry two lanes until the Sixth Street merge, which is coming at the top of this incline. The flyover ramp connects Interstate 280 north to Sixth Street north. Photo taken 11/26/04.
	Traffic from Sixth Street merges onto Interstate 280 south. Photo taken 11/26/04.

	The right lane of Interstate 280 south becomes exit only for Exit 56, 18th Street and Mariposa Street. The left three lanes continue south on Interstate 280 to U.S. 101, Pacifica, and ultimately San Jose. Photo taken 11/26/04.
	Southbound Interstate 280 (Southern Freeway) reaches Exit 56, 18th Street and Mariposa Street. Photo taken 11/26/04.
	The next exit along Interstate 280 south is Exit 55, 25th Street and Army Street. Photo taken 11/26/04.
	Southbound Interstate 280 reaches Exit 55, 25th Street and Army Street. The next exit is a left exit to U.S. 101 (Bayshore Freeway) south (Exit 54). Through traffic on Interstate 280 south should use the middle or right lanes. Photo taken 11/26/04.
	The next three exits along Interstate 280 south are Exit 54, U.S. 101 (Bayshore Freeway) south to San Jose (Left Exit); Exit 53, Alemany Boulevard and Mission Street; and Exit 52, Monterey Boulevard. Photo taken 11/26/04.
	On the top deck of the double-decker section of Interstate 280, a stub on-ramp appears on the right side of the southbound lanes. Northbound traffic is now directly below the southbound lanes. The double decker section lasts from Evans Avenue southwest to near Elmira Street; it was reconstructed and strengthened in the 1990s after it was damaged by the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. Photo taken 11/26/04.
	Southbound Interstate 280 (Southern Freeway) approaches Exit 54, U.S. 101 (Bayshore Freeway) south (left exit). U.S. 101 follows the west shore of the bay, connecting cities such as South San Francisco, San Bruno, Burlingame, San Mateo, Belmont, San Carlos, Redwood City, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, and Santa Clara before reaching San Jose, which features a larger population and greater land area than the city and county of San Francisco. Photo taken 11/26/04.

	U.S. 101 (Bayshore Freeway) and Interstate 280 (Southern Freeway) split at Exit 54. From here, U.S. 101 is the shorter route to San Jose, while Interstate 280 provides a less direct but more scenic and potentially less traveled route to San Jose. The double decker section of freeway ends here. Photo taken 11/26/04.
	While passing through the Alemany Maze, southbound Interstate 280 descends from its viaduct structure. The next exit is Exit 53, Alemany Boulevard and Mission Street. Photo taken 11/26/04.
	Traffic from U.S. 101 north merges on the left side of Interstate 280's southbound lanes, while traffic from U.S. 101 south merges on the right side of Interstate 280. Suddenly, Interstate 280 has four through lanes and an exit only right lane for Exit 53, Alemany Boulevard and Mission Street. Photo taken 11/26/04.
	Southbound Interstate 280 reaches Exit 53, Alemany Boulevard and Mission Street. Photo taken 11/26/04.
	The next exit along Interstate 280 (Southern Freeway) south is Exit 52, Monterey Boulevard. Photo taken 11/26/04.
	This mileage sign provides the distance to the next three exits along Interstate 280 (Southern Freeway) south: Exit 51, Ocean Avenue and Geneva Avenue to City College of San Francisco; Exit 50, California 82 (Mission Street) south to Daly City, Plymouth Avenue north into the Oceanview and Ingleside districts of San Francisco, and Sagamore Street and Brotherhood Way west to California 1 (19th Avenue) north to Golden Gate Park; and Exit 49, John Daly Boulevard and Junipero Serra Boulevard to Daly City and the Westlake District. Photo taken 11/26/04.
	From Exit 51, Ocean Avenue travels due west past the City College of San Francisco to the San Francisco Zoo and Harding Park. Geneva Avenue travels southeast past the Excelsior and Croker Amazon Districts of San Francisco before crossing into Daly City in San Mateo County and ending at Bayshore Boulevard in Brisbane. Photo taken 11/26/04.
	Southbound Interstate 280 (Southern Freeway) reaches Exit 51, Ocean Avenue and Geneva Avenue to City College of San Francisco. Photo taken 11/26/04.
	This mileage sign provides the distance to the next three exits along Interstate 280 (Southern Freeway) south: Exit 50, California 82 (Mission Street) south to Daly City, Plymouth Avenue north into the Oceanview and Ingleside districts of San Francisco, and Sagamore Street and Brotherhood Way west to California 1 (19th Avenue) north to Golden Gate Park; Exit 49, John Daly Boulevard and Junipero Serra Boulevard to Daly City and the Westlake District; and Exit 48, Eastmoor Avenue and Mission Street. Photo taken 11/26/04.
	At Exit 50, use Sagamore Street and Brotherhood Way west to California 1 (19th Avenue). San Francisco State University is located immediately off of California 1. The state route is a major route through San Francisco. California 1 follows 19th Avenue north through the Lakeside, West Portal, and Sunset Districts before crossing Golden Gate Park and changing to Presidio Boulevard through the Lake District. California 1 then passes through the MacArthur Tunnel before merging onto U.S. 101 north to cross the Golden Gate Bridge in the Presidio within Golden Gate National Park. Photo taken 11/26/04.
	Southbound Interstate 280 (Southern Freeway) reaches Exit 50, California 82 (Mission Street) south to Daly City, Plymouth Avenue north into the Oceanview and Ingleside districts of San Francisco, and Sagamore Street and Brotherhood Way west to California 1 (19th Avenue) north to Golden Gate Park. After this interchange, California 1 merges briefly onto Interstate 280. This interchange also marks the northern terminus of California 82, which follows the original route of U.S. 101 (El Camino Real) along the peninsula from San Jose to San Francisco. For a brief time in the 1960s, when Interstate 280 was planned to extend north to the Golden Gate Bridge approach via the current California 1 (19th Avenue and Presidio Boulevard) corridor, the Southern Freeway corridor was designated as California 82. A remnant of this designation is shown on a northbound overhead sign at this interchange. Photo taken 11/26/04.
	This mileage sign provides the distance to the next three exits along Interstate 280 and California 1 south: Exit 49, John Daly Boulevard and Junipero Serra Boulevard to Daly City and the Westlake District; Exit 48, Eastmoor Avenue and Mission Street; and Exit 47B, California 1/Cabrillo Freeway south to Pacifica. Photo taken 11/26/04.
	Southbound Interstate 280 reaches Exit 49, John Daly Boulevard and Junipero Serra Boulevard to Daly City. This is the last exit in San Francisco city / county; in fact, Exit 49 connects to surface streets in Daly City in San Mateo County (but the off-ramp begins in San Francisco). The Southern (John F. Foran) Freeway designation ends, and the Junipero Serra Freeway begins upon crossing the county line. Photo taken 11/26/04.

   

Page Updated February 26, 2008.