PRESS RELEASE 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: OCT. 23, 2012 

Contact: Rachel Gordon, DPW Office of Communications 

415-554-6045 (desk), 415-298-5523 (mobile) rachel.gordon@sfdpw.org

PREFERRED OPTION PICKED FOR SECOND STREET MAKEOVER 

Vital urban corridor would be safer, greener

After holding two community workshops and conducting a survey to get the public’s important feedback on transforming Second Street, a preferred option has emerged that includes constructing protected bike lanes, adding pedestrian and transit improvements and landscaping the corridor.

“The aim of the Second Street makeover is to improve safety for everyone – pedestrians, cyclists, drivers and transit users – and to beautify the landscape by creating a new greenway along this vital urban street that connects the downtown and the South of Market,’’ said Mohammed Nuru, director of the San Francisco Department of Public Works.

The Department of Public Works is managing the project and working in partnership with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and City Planning.

The One-Way Cycletracks option, as the preferred plan is known, now will be developed in more detail. The City will look at such aspects as traffic engineering, transit operations, landscaping, environmental impacts, parking, accessibility, cost and overall design to determine its feasibility.

The preferred One-Way Cycletracks option envisions building buffered bicycle lanes in both directions, increasing opportunities for landscaping, and retiming traffic signals to separate bicycles from turning vehicles.

It also may entail removing parking on one side of the street between Market and Harrison streets; removing all parking between Harrison and Bryant streets, and retaining parking on both sides of the street south of Bryant Street. Left-hand turns may need to be restricted at some intersections during certain hours of the day.

The Second Street Improvement Project also includes roadway resurfacing, concrete curb reconstruction, the installation of ADA-compliant curb ramps and upgrades to the traffic signal system.

The community has identified Second Street, which stretches from Market Street to King Street, as a primary pedestrian, bicycle and transit thoroughfare.

The preferred option received the most community support in DPW’s outreach efforts, which included two neighborhood meetings that each drew more than 100 area residents and business owners. The department also received more than 100 written comments contained in a community survey.

The next informational neighborhood meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 28. The neighborhood location for the meeting will be announced in the coming weeks.

"Second Street is one of our priority corridor improvement projects in District Six, connecting Market Street to the ballpark," said Supervisor Jane Kim, who represents the area. "I attended the last two public meetings and was impressed with the high level of engagement and participation from the community. Clearly that has netted a preferred alternative that prioritizes cyclist and pedestrian safety, for which I continue to strongly advocate."

The estimated cost of the proposed upgrades is $8 million; funding for the project has not been yet been secured. However, the City is applying for One Bay Area Grant (OBAG) federal funding for design and construction.

More information on the Second Street Improvement Project, including conceptual renderings of the One-Way Cycletracks, can be found at http://www.sfdpw.org/secondstreet. 

DPW is responsible for the care and maintenance of San Francisco’s streets and much of its infrastructure. The department cleans and resurfaces streets; plants and maintains city street trees; designs, constructs and maintains city-owned facilities; inspects streets and sidewalks; constructs curb ramps; removes graffiti from public property; and partners with the diverse neighborhoods in San Francisco to provide stellar cleaning and greening services.

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