Beginning in the early 1970s, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) undertook several studies to examine improvements to Doyle Drive. While the public supported improving safety conditions on Doyle Drive, it did not want capacity to be increased. In 1989, the Loma Prieta earthquake heightened safety concerns on Doyle Drive and that same year the U.S. Army announced that it would close its base at the Presidio and transfer the land to the National Park Service. In response, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors established a Doyle Drive Task Force in 1991 to review concepts to replace Doyle Drive developed by Caltrans and others. In early 1993, the Task Force identified a preferred replacement alternative that balanced Caltrans' functional requirements with environmental and community concerns.
Later in 1993, Caltrans completed a Project Study Report identifying alternatives based on the task force recommendations. The report examined the scope, schedule, and cost of the project so it could be considered for inclusion in capital spending programs and so that a likely implementation timeframe could be identified.
When the National Park Service assumed responsibility for the Presidio from the U.S. Army in 1994, it incorporated its main objectives for the Doyle Drive improvements into its general management plan, which focused on maintaining the historical value of the Presidio, minimizing noise pollution impacts, and enhancing access and circulation within the park.
In 1996, the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA), which is responsible for transportation planning, design, and funding in San Francisco County, completed the Doyle Drive Intermodal Study. It supported the task force and National Park Service recommendations to improve safety, multimodal access and aesthetics in the Presidio.
In 2000, Caltrans and SFCTA began a nine-year process to gain environmental approval for the project. They released an initial report examining two project alternatives in December 2005. One alternative was similar to the 1993 Task Force's Parkway concept that proposed wide landscaped medians to create a park-like setting and used two shallow tunnels to limit impacts on the park. SFCTA's Board of Commissioners endorsed this alternative in September 2006, and a final environmental review was completed in October 2008. Following some final refinements to the design, the project gained the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) approval in December 2008.