Removal of the Embarcadero Freeway

The elevated Embarcadero Freeway (State Route 480) ran along San Francisco's waterfront in front of the Ferry Building for decades after its construction as part of mid-20th-century freeway plans. The structure was heavily damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and was subsequently demolished, with removal completed in the early 1990s. Its removal reopened the waterfront and allowed restoration of surface-level Embarcadero boulevards and public spaces in front of the Ferry Building.