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J Church Safety and Accessibility Project

SFMTA.com/JChurchProject

Quick-build implementation starting as soon as March 18, 2024 on San Jose Avenue! 

For information about other J Church related projects, please see the timeline for capital and service improvement projects along the line. 

Project Introduction

Before the pandemic, the J Church served 17,000 Muni riders each weekday in Noe Valley, the Castro, the Mission, Glen Park and Mission Terrace, and riders continue to return. We’ve heard concerns about Muni service reliability along the J Church corridor including long transit wait times, as well as concerns about vehicle speeding and safety for people walking. As part of the Muni Forward program, the J Church Project will focus on making improvements to address these concerns along Church Street and San Jose Avenue.

Reliability challenges

When delayed, the J Church often sees long gaps in service followed by the bunching of two or more trains in a row. A 2013 project improved reliability for the J Church on Church between Duboce and 16th Street. The project added red transit lanes and left-turn restrictions. The project was able to reduce travel time variability by 27%. It also improved travel times up to 14% on that segment. The SFMTA is building on the success of this project to address delays on the remainder of the line.

Over the last few years, we have heard the following concerns from J Church customers:

  • Concerns about transit reliability and travel times
  • Requests to improve safety, accessibility and features at train stops
  • Requests to improve safety for people walking along and near the J Church
Project Timeline 
Late 2022- Summer 2023
Outreach to the community
Pending
Summer 2023
Proposals to the community
Pending
Fall 2023
Proposal to the SFMTA Board
Pending
Project Status
Planning

Phase 1: Approved Improvements on San Jose Avenue

The project will be planned in phases. The first phase of planning, outreach and implementation is focused on the San Jose Avenue section of the line and approved by the SFMTA Board of Directors in October 2023. There are a range of approved improvements that will be implemented on San Jose Avenue to enhance reliability, safety and accessibility. Some of the approved upgrades include:

  • Transit lanes on San Jose Avenue that allow left turns by private vehicles
  • New wheelchair-accessible ramps at some stops to improve accessibility for people who use mobility devices
  • Flashing beacons to help improve safety for people walking 
  • Safety improvements for people walking, including intersection daylighting (corner red zones) to improve visibility for people crossing the street
  • Traffic signal improvements

For more information on the locations of these approved treatments along San Jose Avenue, please see the project scope boards that show block by block details and the map of the corridor

Future projects phases

These proposals are a part of a larger effort to improve Muni reliability, service and safety amenities along Church Street and San Jose Avenue. In addition to the proposed improvements along San Jose Avenue, we are working to make improvements at the intersection of Church and Market streets. In the future, work is planned along Church Street. Other corridors where improvements are proposed include Church and Market Street intersection and Church Street from 22nd to 30th streets.

Church and Market streets intersection proposal includes:

  • Transit plaza that will also function as a community space for merchant and neighbor use
  • Accessibility, safety and customer amenity upgrades

A proposal for Church Street improvements from 22nd to 30th streets is expected in 2024. 

  • A previous proposal to remove the J Church stop on Church Street at 29th Street is no longer being considered.
  • Other proposal details expected in 2024 and will focus on safety and accessibility improvements at stops.

No changes to the J Church route or frequency are being considered as part of this project. 

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Muni Forward
Contact Information
Jessica Kuo, Project Manager
Erin McMillan, Public Affairs Manager