Southbound 101 in Mission to Close for Repaving
The closure runs from 11 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6 to 6 a.m. Monday, Nov. 9, with detours set from Fifth Street.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Home Renovation
Drivers heading south on Highway 101 through the Mission District will lose all four southbound lanes for a long weekend starting Friday night. Caltrans is closing the freeway for repaving, with detours set from Fifth Street in SoMa.
Why it matters
Anyone commuting through the Mission, SoMa or the Potrero corridor will feel this on the Friday-to-Monday stretch, when the freeway is normally a main route south. The work is part of a multi-year rehabilitation of the Hospital Curve on a 70-year-old freeway segment, and the overhaul is set to continue through 2028.
The closure is a scheduled Caltrans weekend shutdown covering all four southbound lanes from 11 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6 to 6 a.m. Monday, Nov. 9. The freeway segment is 70 years old, and the overall Hospital Curve overhaul is set to run through 2028, but the stub does not give traffic volumes or detour travel-time figures.
The players
Caltrans
The California Department of Transportation, which is running the repaving and set the closure and detour plan. It is the state agency responsible for Highway 101 in San Francisco.
The details
Caltrans is repaving the southbound lanes between 17th Street and Cesar Chavez Street, and access is cut at the Fourth, Seventh and 10th street on-ramps as well as the connector from westbound Interstate 80 to northbound Highway 101. The work includes drainage repair, fresh concrete layers and a new median barrier. Caltrans has published a detour map sending drivers from Fifth Street in SoMa onto Interstate 280 or down Harrison Street and Potrero Avenue.
Timeline
11 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, 2026: southbound Highway 101 closure begins.
6 a.m. Monday, Nov. 9, 2026: southbound closure ends and lanes reopen.
2028: Hospital Curve overhaul expected to finish.
Across the Bay
This is the latest installment of Caltrans' ongoing Hospital Curve rehabilitation, which the agency is pursuing to extend the useful life of a 70-year-old freeway. The project is set to continue through 2028, so San Franciscans should expect further closures along this stretch before the work is done.
If you drive south on 101 this weekend, plan on Fifth Street in SoMa, Interstate 280, or Harrison and Potrero for your route. Build in extra time from Friday night through Monday morning.
The takeaway
Plan the detour before Friday night, since southbound 101 is closed from 11 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Monday. Watch for further Hospital Curve closures before the work wraps up in 2028.
What happens next
Caltrans is expected to continue the Hospital Curve overhaul through 2028, and further closures along this stretch are likely before that date.
Further reading
For more on the infrastructure work shaping the city, see our Home Renovation coverage.
