Think of a bowl of spaghetti. That is a great way to describe the Alemany Maze. It is also known as the Alemany Interchange. Some people call it the Spaghetti Bowl. The Alemany Maze is an interchange in San Francisco. It connects the James Lick Freeway and the John F. Foran Freeway. These are also known as U.S. Route 101 and Interstate 280.
The Alemany Maze got its name from Alemany Boulevard. Joseph Sadoc Alemany was the first Archbishop of San Francisco. He got the honor of having the boulevard named after him in 1853.
The Alemany Maze originally controlled traffic flow. It separated traffic traveling on the James Lick Freeway, Bayshore Boulevard, and Alemany Boulevard. The former US 101 Bypass went along Bayshore Boulevard. It split from the old US 101 at the Maze. Eventually, the Alemany Boulevard part of US 101 was replaced. This happened when the Southern Freeway was built. It was later renamed the John Foran Freeway.
A bridge carries US 101 over Alemany Boulevard. This section is called Alemany Circle. It was built in 1950. It was updated in 2020. In 1964, US 101 was moved to the Bayshore Freeway. The old US 101 freeway became part of I-280.
Locals pronounce “Alemany” as “al-UH-mainy”. That is according to SFGate.
The Alemany Maze has some notable features. There are double-deck ramps for US 101 from the south. There is also a double-deck section of I-280. It is northeast of the interchange. I-280 runs east-west through the interchange. However, it is generally a north-south freeway.
The word “maze” describes the complex interchanges. Drivers must navigate from a multi-lane freeway. They go to a narrower structure of lanes. These lanes funnel to connector exit ramps. This is similar to the MacArthur Maze. Traffic reporters use the term “Alemany Maze.” They use it to indicate a bottleneck. The San Francisco Chronicle described it as a “spaghetti tangle of freeway.” It stretches like an octopus. It reaches north to the Bay Bridge. It goes south to Daly City and San Francisco International Airport. Its tentacles go in every direction.
Despite its size, the Alemany Maze does not allow full movement. Drivers southbound on either highway cannot directly access the northbound direction of the other highway.
Safety has been a concern at the Alemany Maze. There have been severe and fatal collisions near it. The Alemany Interchange Bike Lanes Project aims to improve safety. It adds new bike lanes and crosswalks. It also narrows travel lanes to reduce speeding. These improvements help people walking, biking, and driving. The project was approved in 2018. The first part was built in November 2018. The protected bikeways were unveiled in March 2021. The project is funded by local sources. These include Proposition B and Proposition K.
So, the next time you are stuck in traffic here. Remember its history. Remember the efforts to make it safer. The Alemany Maze is more than just a tangle of roads. It’s a vital part of San Francisco.