California Cable Car Infrastructure Improvement Project

Public Works and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) initiated work on the California Cable Car Infrastructure Improvement Project, which replaced aging underground components of the cable car system and repaved the 17 blocks of California Street from Drumm Street west to Van Ness Avenue. This maintenance project was necessary to ensure the future safety and reliability of the cable car system.

Prior to this overhaul, the last major overhaul of the cable car system was completed in 1984.  As a result, much of the system’s infrastructure, including key electrical and mechanical components, were in need of rehabilitation. The roadway along this corridor had last been resurfaced 25 years ago.

The work scope included:

• Retrofitting of curb ramps at every intersection (excluding Van Ness Avenue and Stockton and Sabin streets) to comply with the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) requirements
• Replacement of necessary electrical and mechanical components to support the safe operation of the cable car system
• Reconstruction of concrete streets
• Repair to concrete street base 
• Grind and resurface of asphalt streets
• Sewer replacement