PRESS RELEASE: Ceremonial Groundbreaking for Broadway Pedestrian Safety Project - 9/28/16

For immediate release: Sept. 28, 2016

Contact: Rachel Gordon, 415-554-6045 

Ceremonial Groundbreaking for Broadway Pedestrian Safety Project

Streetscape Improvements Include Safer Crossings, New Landscaping, Better Bus Stops

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Crews are set to begin work on the final phase of the Broadway Streetscape Improvement Project that will make the busy Chinatown-North Beach corridor safer for pedestrians and a more attractive destination.

The community is invited to join Public Works, the Chinatown Community Development Center and District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin on Thursday to celebrate the start of construction on the last of four neighborhood-improvement projects along Broadway.

What: Ceremonial groundbreaking for Broadway Streetscape Improvement Project

Date: Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016

Time:  12 noon

Location: Powell and Broadway intersection

Project elements include:  reconfiguring the roadway to two lanes of travel in each direction, with curb-side parking and loading lanes on both sides of the street; constructing bulb-outs at intersections and adding special paving on the crosswalks to improve pedestrian visibility; installing new pedestrian-scale street lights; constructing new bus bulbs and bus shelters; planting new street trees; installing public art that also functions as seating; and making the bike route more visible for improved safety.

Construction of the $7.3 million project is scheduled to start in mid-October and take 10 months to complete. The work will run along Broadway from Columbus Avenue to the Robert C. Levy Tunnel, better known as the Broadway Tunnel.

The project is an interagency effort led by the San Francisco Planning Department in partnership with the Chinatown Community Development Center, San Francisco Public Works, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, San Francisco County Transportation Authority and San Francisco Arts Commission.

In collaboration with the Chinatown Community Development Center and the North Beach Chamber of Commerce, residents, merchants and other community groups outlined a vision to transform Broadway from The Embarcadero to the tunnel from a speedway to a more welcoming place to walk, shop and live. 

About San Francisco Public Works: The 24/7 City agency cleans and resurfaces streets; plants and nurtures City-maintained street trees; designs, constructs and maintains City-owned facilities; inspects streets and sidewalks; builds curb ramps; eradicates graffiti; partners with neighborhoods; trains people for jobs; greens the right of way; and educates our communities.

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