Yes. The pedestrian bridge over Kearny Street was fully demolished by August 14, 2026. The former direct connection between the Hilton San Francisco Financial District and Portsmouth Square is gone, and the renovation plans do not include a replacement bridge. Visitors must leave the Hilton at street level and cross Kearny at Washington or Clay, while Portsmouth Square itself remains closed for renovation through mid-2028.
Choose where you are starting and heading; the route tool identifies the appropriate street-level crossing.
Choose Your Street-Level Route
Recommended Route
Use Washington and Kearny.
Take the hotel elevator to the ground-floor lobby, exit at 750 Kearny Street, remain on the east sidewalk and cross at Washington using the pedestrian signal.
Portsmouth Square is closed, so continue on open sidewalks rather than entering the park.
Source: San Francisco Recreation and Parks August and September construction updates and the Portsmouth Square Improvement Project page. No walking-time estimate is published in the cited material.
The Bridge Was Removed Permanently
Crews removed the span over Kearny Street during the weekend of August 1–3, then returned the following weekend to remove the western anchorage. San Francisco Recreation and Parks reported the demolition fully complete on August 14, with the traffic restrictions and Muni changes associated with that demolition returned to normal operations in its August construction update.
That completion notice concerns the bridge demolition and its related traffic changes. It does not mean work around Portsmouth Square has ended. The park renovation remains active, and pedestrian conditions around the construction perimeter can change.
The removed structure was more than a walkway over traffic. It provided a direct upper-level connection between Portsmouth Square and the Hilton building at 750 Kearny Street, where the Chinese Culture Center has offices and its Him Mark Lai Learning Center. Someone approaching from the square could previously cross without descending to Kearny Street.
That option no longer exists. There is no temporary span, covered passage or planned replacement bridge. The remaining route is through the Hilton’s ground-floor lobby and along the sidewalk to a signalized intersection.
The bridge had linked the Hilton and Portsmouth Square since the early 1970s. Its western anchorage occupied part of the site planned for the park’s new clubhouse, according to the San Francisco Chronicle’s demolition report. The city’s project plan expressly lists removal of the pedestrian bridge but does not include construction of a new one.
Use Washington Or Clay To Cross Kearny
From the Hilton or the Chinese Culture Center spaces inside the building, use this street-level route:
- Take the hotel elevator to the ground-floor lobby.
- Exit the Hilton at 750 Kearny Street.
- Remain on the east sidewalk of Kearny.
- Walk to Washington Street or Clay Street.
- Cross Kearny at the intersection, following the pedestrian signal and any temporary construction directions.
Do not attempt to cross Kearny midblock where the bridge stood. The former bridge location is not a pedestrian crossing, and the construction site does not provide a substitute passage through the park.
Washington and Kearny is the more useful choice when the trip continues toward central Chinatown or north toward Jackson Street. After crossing, continue according to the open sidewalks and posted construction routing rather than trying to enter Portsmouth Square.
Clay and Kearny is the more useful crossing for California Street, St. Mary’s Square or the Financial District. It also avoids treating the closed square as a through-route. Which intersection is cleaner on a particular visit can depend on the active work around the block, so signs and protected walkways take priority over the usual sidewalk line.
Both options require a descent to the hotel lobby before crossing the street. Continuing west from Kearny into Chinatown involves an uphill walk. Travelers who previously counted on the bridge to avoid street level should allow for that change in the route.
There is no covered replacement for the bridge. In wet weather, the same outdoor sidewalk and intersection route applies. The hotel lobby provides the exit from the building, but it does not lead to another enclosed connection across Kearny.
Crossing Kearny Does Not Open The Park
Portsmouth Square and its restrooms are closed for renovation through mid-2028. Reaching the west side of Kearny therefore does not provide access to the square, its interior paths or its facilities.
This distinction matters because two closures overlap at the same location. The bridge is permanently gone, while the park is temporarily closed for a larger construction project. Completion of the bridge demolition did not reopen the park, and the eventual reopening of Portsmouth Square will not restore the bridge under the current project plan.
The city’s plan includes a new 8,500-square-foot clubhouse, a consolidated playground, accessibility improvements and additional gathering space. The broader renovation is budgeted at about $73 million. The official Portsmouth Square project page lists bridge removal as part of that work but does not list a replacement connection to the Hilton.
Anyone planning to visit the square rather than merely pass its edge should check the Portsmouth Square closure guide. Until the park reopens, it should not be used as the destination, a restroom stop or a shortcut between Kearny Street and the interior of Chinatown.
The parking garage beneath the square is a separate facility from the former footbridge. An operating garage elevator does not recreate the upper-level route into the Hilton, nor does it mean the closed park above is accessible.
The Chinese Culture Center Uses Two Locations
The Chinese Culture Center’s offices and Him Mark Lai Learning Center remain on the Hilton’s third floor. The learning center is available by appointment. Visitors going there should enter the Hilton from 750 Kearny Street and use the building’s interior elevator rather than looking for the former bridge entrance.
The center’s Art Center and Design Store are at 667 Grant Avenue. That is a separate destination from the offices and learning center inside the Hilton. Confirming which space is hosting an appointment or program avoids an unnecessary crossing of Kearny and the climb farther into Chinatown.
As of September 25, the Chinese Culture Center’s directions page still instructs visitors to use the bridge from Portsmouth Square. That direction is obsolete because the bridge has been demolished and the square is closed. For an appointment in the Hilton, approach through the hotel’s street-level entrance instead.
A visitor already inside the Hilton should not follow signs or older instructions toward an upper-level bridge exit. Descend to the lobby first. A visitor approaching from Chinatown should use Washington or Clay to cross Kearny, then enter at 750 Kearny Street.
Construction Can Change The Sidewalk Approach
Although the demolition-related traffic and Muni changes ended in August, construction continues around Portsmouth Square. The normal intersection choice still has to be reconciled with barriers, protected walkways and instructions posted on the day of the visit.
In September, the city closed the east sidewalk of Walter U. Lum Place while providing a protected walkway. Work also began near the parking-garage elevators. At least one garage elevator is to remain operational, but that elevator is not a replacement connection to the Hilton, according to the city’s September construction update.
Walter U. Lum Place runs along another edge of the project, so work there can affect how someone continues around the square after crossing Kearny. The protected route established by the construction team should be followed even if a map displays the ordinary sidewalk alignment.
The same principle applies at Kearny. Washington and Clay remain the relevant signalized crossing choices from the Hilton, but temporary directions may determine which sidewalk segment is available after the crossing. A barrier at one edge of the project is not permission to enter the fenced park or cross Kearny outside the intersection.
Visitors who need a particular step-free path should verify the current perimeter route before setting out and follow on-site accessibility signs if construction has diverted a sidewalk. The project includes future accessibility improvements, but that description of the completed park does not establish that every temporary route will remain unchanged during construction.
Plan Around The Destination, Not The Old Bridge
For the Hilton or the Chinese Culture Center’s offices, the practical destination is now the hotel lobby at 750 Kearny Street. From Chinatown, cross Kearny at Washington or Clay and enter from the street. From inside the hotel, take the elevator down rather than searching for an upper-level exit.
For central Chinatown or Jackson Street, use Washington and Kearny, then continue west or north on open sidewalks. Expect the route west into Chinatown to climb. The closed square cannot be used to cut diagonally across the block.
For California Street, St. Mary’s Square or the Financial District, use Clay and Kearny. This keeps the route oriented toward those destinations without depending on access through Portsmouth Square.
For the Art Center and Design Store, navigate to 667 Grant Avenue rather than the Hilton. The demolished bridge is not part of that arrival route, although construction around Portsmouth Square may still influence the cleanest approach from Kearny Street.
For Portsmouth Square itself, postpone the park visit or treat the site only as a construction boundary until the announced mid-2028 reopening period. Crossing Kearny gets a pedestrian to the opposite side of the street; it does not get them into the park.
The durable route change is straightforward: the upper-level shortcut is gone, all Hilton access is now through street level, and movement across Kearny belongs at Washington or Clay. The variable part is the construction perimeter, which is why the city’s current signs should govern the final block.