In the coming days, San Francisco will host the 2023 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Conference and for those living and working in the city and surrounding areas will experience some impact.
What is APEC
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a regional Economic Forum established in 1989 with a goal of leveraging interdependence in the Asia Pacific region. The summit is an international event that is expected to bring 30,000 visitors to San Francisco. APEC will bring CEOs, entrepreneurs, thought leaders and other stakeholders together with the most senior political leaders from the Asia-Pacific region to include China, Canada Vietnam, Mexico, Japan, Korea and Australia. President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to be in attendance.
The federal government has declared APEC a National Special Security Event which underlines the potential for a terrorist attack or major civil disruption. Some activist groups have announced their intension to gather during the event. No specific “free speech zone” has been identified.
Areas of Impact
Four main areas of San Francisco – Moscone Center, Nob Hill, the Embarcadero, and the Legion of Honor will be official APEC locations. In addition, other areas of San Francisco and on the Peninsula will be hosting APEC related meetings and social events.
With APEC 2023 being the biggest gathering of world leaders in San Francisco in almost eight decades, enhanced security measures will be in place with an expectation for many last-minute changes. For the official venues, secured zones (red and green) with restricted access has been established.
With help from SF Public Works, the Secret Service has begun erecting barriers and non-scalable fencing around the Moscone Center, the Legion of Honor and in various locations within Nob Hill. A full sweep of all APEC venues will occur by Sunday, and this will begin official lock down procedures to include ID and vehicle inspections along with credential only access.
The security perimeter around Moscone Center—the central site for the conference—will include the area bordered by Market, Harrison, Second and Fifth streets. Inside the perimeter’s exclusion or red zone, road access will be limited to government vehicles. The green zone around Moscone Center is for local traffic only. Ride share services and food delivery though, are not allowed in the green zone by Moscone Center. Instead, drivers will be required to stage one block away.
All deliveries and services into the secure area must be completed prior to 8 p.m. on the night of Nov. 14. After the security perimeter is closed, commercial or delivery vehicles requiring access to a secure area must report to the U.S. Secret Service’s Remote Delivery Site/Commercial Vehicle Screening at Pier 27, 27 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 04111 to undergo screening. This screening site will be open starting Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. and continue operations until November 18 at 10 p.m. All drivers must have a valid driver’s license rated for the vehicle they are operating.
Upon completion of the screening process, all delivery vehicles will be sealed and must proceed directly to the security checkpoint. If they arrive at the checkpoint with a broken seal, they will be required to return to the screening site for re-screening. All deliveries in the secure area are expected to occur in the overnight and early morning hours between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
A separate security perimeter will be put in place around the knob hill hotel where U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to stay for the event. This will lead to additional traffic and mass transit disruptions.
A third security zone will run along the Embarcadero on November 15th from Battery St. to Broadway.
Cooke & Associates, Inc, has been made aware of several private social events relating to the APEC Conference in the San Francisco neighborhoods of Sea Cliff, Pacific Heights, and the Presidio as well as in the cities of Atherton, Palo Alto, and Los Altos. Enhanced layers of security will also be in place in these locations and delays should be planned for.
Transportation Impact
Highway closures into the city are scheduled during this time. In certain parts of the city, employees and visitors should plan ahead and build in extra time to get around.
On Interstate Highway 80, eastbound lane No. 1 and westbound lane No. 5 will be closed for four days beginning Nov. 14 at 5 a.m. until Nov. 17 at 9 p.m. Controlled access to the Bay Bridge Pedestrian and Bike Path will be implemented. The Fourth Street off-ramp on eastbound I-80 and the Fifth Street off-ramp on westbound I-80 will be closed from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily starting Nov. 15 until Nov. 17.
On northbound U.S. Highway 101, the Dana Bowers Vista Point off-ramp just north of the Golden Gate Bridge will be closed from Nov. 14 through Nov. 18. During the closure, there will be no access to Dana Bowers Vista Point for vehicles, bicycles, or pedestrians. Access to the Golden Gate Bridge sidewalks will remain open to pedestrians and bicyclists during regular hours throughout the event.
Transit bus services will not be impacted, and Treasure Island on- and off-ramps as well as the Fremont Street off-ramp will remain open.
The Central Subway will not allow passengers along the section that rolls under the Moscone Center, effectively cutting the route in half and blocking its link between Chinatown and the Caltrain station.
Two cable car routes that run along California and Powell streets will also be limited or shut down in the case of the California line. The Mason and Hyde streets line will also be impacted.
The San Francisco Airport does expect an increase in private aircraft activity, which takes place on the north side of the airport, away from the international and domestic terminals. Travelers could see delays along North Access Road in San Bruno, which borders the northern section of the airport.
North Access Road intersects with South Airport Boulevard, where the SFO long-term garage and lot are located. APEC attendees who travel through the private terminal will use North Access Road to travel in vehicles on their way out of the airport. The Park SFO parking garage located just off of North Access Road is open during APEC but could see congestion due to private jet activity. The SFO cellphone waiting lot and long-term parking lot are also off the boulevard, and anyone using those lots should prepare for delays or the possibility of a reroute.
CAI’s Global Security Operations Center (GSOC) will continue to monitor the APEC event and provide updates as warranted. For clients utilizing CAI’s GSOC services, please check your text and email services for additional information.
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// COOKE & ASSOCIATES, INC.
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