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San Francisco APEC barricades: See before and after photos

Two photos side by side of a car driving down a street with pedestrians on the corner and a group of CHP officers stand behind a barricade at a road closure
A vehicle drives down Fourth at Market Street left, in San Francisco on Nov. 3, and California Highway Patrol officers stand at the same location is closed to traffic, right, on Thursday. | Source: RJ Mickelson/The Standard; Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard

As the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation weeklong San Francisco conference came to a close Friday afternoon, blocks of fencing lining the security zone around the Moscone Center were lifted from city streets and once again accessible to the public.

The signature black barricades wrapped around the security perimeter, termed an “exclusion zone,” only permitted pedestrians to enter the outer belt without screening but required authorized passes to enter the area around Moscone and Yerba Buena Gardens

Several cars pass down Howard Street quickly with Moscone Center in the background.A man walks by a fence in front of the Moscone Center.
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Cars drive west down Howard between Third and Fourth streets in front of Moscone Center on Oct. 5, left. A man walks by a tall metal fence erected in the same location on Nov. 10. | RJ Mickelson/The Standard; Liu Guanguan/China News Service/Getty Images

Prior to the conference, the federal government declared APEC a National Special Security Event, a designation that underlined the potential for a terrorist attack or major civil disruption.

The first-of-its-kind designation in Northern California meant the United States Secret Service was in charge of security for the event, which was attended by dignitaries and CEOs ranging from President Joe Biden to Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

A taxi and a few other vehicle drive down Howard Street in San Francisco with a bike lane separating the lanesA California Highway Patrol officer stands on bicycle lane on a street closure.
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Cars drive west on Howard near Fifth Street in San Francisco on Nov. 3, left, and a California Highway Patrol officer stands at a road closure at the same location on Thursday. | RJ Mickelson/The Standard; Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard

By Friday evening, most of the fencing around the security zone was being taken down by city workers with residents being able to freely enter and exit the area.

See below for before and after photos of San Francisco barricades during APEC.

Several cars drive through an intersection as people wait on the corner to cross the street.California Highway Parol officers stand behind barricades at a road closure on 4th at Market S
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Vehicles pass over Market down Fourth Street on Nov. 3, left, and California Highway Patrol officers stand at a road closure at the same location on Thursday, right. | RJ Mickelson/The Standard; Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard
Several cars drive down Folsom St. at Fifth Street in San FranciscoLaw enforcement stand near barricades on Folsom at Fifth Street
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Cars drive down Folsom Street at Fifth Street on Oct. 5, left, and law enforcement stand near barricades at a street closure at the same location on Thursday, right. | RJ Mickelson/The Standard; Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard
A taxi drives an empty street in San Francisco.A vehicle checkpoint on New Montgomery at Stevenson St. near the Palace Hotel
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A taxi drives down New Montgomery at Stevenson Street near the Palace Hotel on Nov. 3, left, and a vehicle and security checkpoint at the same location is seen on Thursday, right. | RJ Mickelson/The Standard; Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard
Two pedesrtians walk through an empty intersection of Mission and 2nd St. in San FranciscoPedestrians cross the intersection at Mission and 2nd St.
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Pedestrians walk across a crosswalk at the intersection of Mission and Second streets on Nov. 3, left, and a street closure at the same location on Thursday, right. | RJ Mickelson/The Standard; Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard
Cars drive along Folsom at 4th St. in San FranciscoA California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer lets a motorcycle officer through a large gate on a blocked street.
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Cars drive along Folsom at Fourth Street in August 2022, left, and a California Highway Patrol officer lets a motorcycle officer through a large gate on Folsom near Fourth Street at the same location Wednesday, right. | Google Street View; Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard
Several cars pass through an intersection on Howard at 4th Street by the Children’s Creativity Museum and carousel.An empty intersection on Howard at 4th Street by the Children’s Creativity Museum and carousel.
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Cars pass through an intersection on Howard at Fourth Street by the Children’s Creativity Museum on Oct. 5, left, and an intersection is closed at the same location by security fencing on Thursday, right. | RJ Mickelson/The Standard; Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard
Cyclists ride through an open plaza area near Mission St. between 3rd and 4th Street.An APEC pedestrian security checkpoint in open plaza.
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Cyclists ride through a plaza area near Mission Street between Third and Fourth streets in front of the Jewish Museum in San Francisco on Nov. 3, 2023, left, and an APEC pedestrian security checkpoint operates at the same location on Thursday, right. | RJ Mickelson/The Standard; Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard
Cars drive over Fifth at Folsom St. in San FranciscoLaw enforcement stand in the middle of a closed street
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Cars drive over Fifth at Folsom Street in June, left, and law enforcement stand at a road closure at the same location on Tuesday. | Google Street View; Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard