Fixing Our Infrastructure Requires the Nation’s Focus - Every Week

Just because our cable cars and street cars are more than a century old, it doesn’t mean the roads and rail they travel on should be from the same vintage.

Today, public transit leaders highlighted the urgent need to invest in the nation’s aging public transportation systems, as part of “National Infrastructure Week.”

Our own Ed Reiskin said: “Infrastructure may not be sexy when it works, but in times of bridge, roadway or rail failures, it gets its fair share of headlines. I, for one, want to keep this topic boring through key investments, proper coordination and improved transportation options for everyone.”

As we’re reminded once again, the need to improve and repair our aging infrastructure is as real in San Francisco as it is in the rest of the country. Earlier this year, we determined that the SFMTA had a $2.47 billion backlog of projects to keep our infrastructure in a state of good repair.

Filling that backlog will require a big commitment from the government and from the public.

Crews replacing the worn-out rails for Muni's N Judah trains in the Sunset Tunnel last year.

In 2014, San Francisco voters approved a ballot measure to increase local funding for transportation, which will help. This highlights fact that people care, because of the huge value transportation brings to people’s lives.

As you may have noticed, new buses and trolleys have begun to hit San Francisco streets. We’re working to replace our entire Muni fleet, which will help keep our system in a state of good repair and significantly improve service. The first prototype of our new trains will be here by the end of this year, and will be carrying San Franciscans by summer of next year.

This kind of work will improve transportation in the short-term, but allows us to leverage sound investments and continue planning for a more connected and reliable transit system in the future.

While we are doing our best to keep our system in a state of good repair, we need to maintain a strong local-federal funding partnership to ensure that riders are safe and our system reliable.

As San Francisco and the Bay Area continue to grow, so does ridership. By 2035, San Francisco is projected to have an approximate 15 percent growth in population and a 25 percent growth in employment.

We are doubling-down on our efforts to keep our system in good condition and our employees and riders as safe as possible.