FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 2, 2012 

Press Contact: 415-554-6926

ROAD REPAVING AND STREET SAFETY PROGRAM REPAVES FIRST 25 BLOCKS

Public Works Paves First of 1,400 City Blocks as part of Three-Year Voter-Approved Program

San Francisco, Ca. – The Department of Public Works (DPW) has shovels hitting the ground with the $248 million three-year Road Repaving and Street Safety Program (Streets Bond) program well under way, as it officially marks the initial phase of construction with the completion of the first 25 newly repaved city blocks. Over the next three years, the bond will repave hundreds of city blocks, repair sidewalks, build curb ramps, repair street structures, enhance and improve the streetscape, and make transit signal upgrades in neighborhoods throughout San Francisco. Crews are out today paving the 25th street segment at Broadway Street, from Davis to Front near The Embarcadero with PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES until 12:00pm.

“The residents and voters of San Francisco value the importance of maintaining our City’s roadways and supporting investments to make our streets safe and accessible,” said Mayor Lee. “This investment into our streets is yielding visible benefits by creating jobs, improving transit, and transforming neighborhoods.”

The funding allocation for the first year allots $44.1 million to the road repaving of over 400 city blocks. Another 300 blocks will also be repaved with non-bond funded resources bringing the total amount of streets for renovation to 700 in the first year of the Streets Bond program which began in March 2012.

“Residents who are out and about the City can see and feel the difference with these first 25 blocks paved,” said Mohammed Nuru, Director of the Department of Public Works. “With three times as many street segments being paved in San Francisco over these next three years, the pace of the paving activities will continue to ramp up and we will continue to chip away at our goal to increase the pavement index scores.”

DPW is responsible for maintaining 865 miles of roadways consisting of 12,855 street segments. With California’s statewide average Pavement Condition Index (PCI) score at 66 and San Francisco’s PCI at 64, the goal is to utilize the Streets Bond to improve the condition of San Francisco streets to the statewide average by 2015.

The 25 newly paved blocks include streets in heavily trafficked areas in the SOMA and Mission neighborhoods, and in residential areas in the Sunset and the Richmond.

1) 12th Street, South Van Ness to Howard 

2, 3) 15th Street, Folsom to South Van Ness (2 blocks) 

4, 5) 18th Street Folsom to South Van Ness (2 blocks) 

6) Greenwich, Steiner to Pierce 

7) Laguna, Bay to North Point 

8) Scott, North Point to Beach 

9-11) Washington, Van Ness to Octavia (3 blocks) 

12) Washington, Laguna to Buchanan 

13) 22nd Avenue, Ortega to Pacheco 

14) 29th Avenue, Moraga to Noriega 

15) 31st Avenue, Noriega to Ortega 

16) 32nd Avenue, Taraval to Ulloa 

17) 34th Avenue, Irving to Judah 

18) Clayton, Parnassus to Ashbury 

19) Clayton, Page to Haight 

20) Cole, Alma to Rivoli 

21) Steiner, Ellis to O’Farrell 

22) Steiner, Post to Sutter 

23) Leavenworth, Bush to Pine 

24) Lombard, Powell to Mason 

25) Broadway, Davis to Front

The City prioritizes paving projects using several factors including the classification of the route, the street’s PCI Score and project readiness. Proposed streets are geographically distributed around all neighborhoods in San Francisco in coordinated, planned phases over the next three years. DPW's Bureau of Street & Sewer Repair will pave about a third of the Streets Bond city blocks, with the remainder paved by private contractors. A typical city block is repaved in a few days and after the repaving the Department of Parking and Traffic re-stripes the roadway.

In addition to repaving work, the installation of curb ramps as a part of the Streets Bond is underway, with 167 curb ramps completed to date. $8.8 million of the Streets Bond is allocated for the design and installation of 800 curb ramps throughout the City.

"I look forward to new Streets Bond investments in wider sidewalks and calmer traffic,” said Elizabeth Stampe, Executive Director of Walk San Francisco. “These will make walking in San Francisco safer and more inviting for everyone.”

Another $5.6 million from this year’s bond allocation will go toward the planning and construction of streetscape enhancements projects which are currently in the project selection phase. The proposed list of streetscape improvement projects is being reviewed and presented to the public and stakeholders over the next few months, and once finalized these projects will total up to $50 million and will provide necessary pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements as well as aesthetic enhancements at many locations throughout the City. More information about the work scope and paving plans can be found at sfdpw.org/streetsbond.

The City’s Ten-Year Capital Plan recommended the Streets Bond as part of a citywide finance strategy to address critical capital improvement needs. The Ten‐Year Capital Plan is a constrained expenditure plan for city‐owned facilities and infrastructure. Developed biennially, it enables policymakers to make strategic decisions about how to fund the maintenance, the expansion and the replacement of capital assets. The Ten‐Year Capital Plan also prioritizes critical capital projects that impact the public’s safety and well being; places strong emphasis on accountability and transparency; and most importantly demonstrates the highest levels of fiscal restraint and responsibility. For more information, visit onesanfrancisco.org.

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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