Investing In Our City's Transportation

The SFMTA's $3.4 billion Capital Improvement Program is comprised of 250 projects described in a 200 page document. It's the agency's five-year plan for investing in San Francisco's transportation infrastructure. The first two years of this plan make up our current capital budget, so this plan gets updated every two years. It's a comprehensive look at the agency's assets, its mandates and its goals. The SFMTA Board of Directors is being asked to approve the next version of the CIP, 2017 - 2021 (.pdf), at their meeting today.

This plan includes transformative projects that make transit work better for everyone; drive the Vision Zero goal with street improvements like countdown signals, pedestrian bulbouts and bike lanes; and improve our state of good repair with projects that refurbish Muni's rail lines, replace overhead wires and replace Muni's aging fleet. It also includes the Central Subway, the largest of our current capital projects.

These plans and projects aren't cooked up in a vacuum. The team who puts the program together starts with the various plans and policies that direct our work. This is primarily the agency's Strategic Plan, our 20-year Capital Plan and policies such as Vision Zero and Transit First. Then the capital funding that is realistically expected over the next five years is evaluated and matched with the agency's strategic and policy priorities. Of course this description glosses over the months of work by SFMTA staff to coordinate with the various teams that use the assets or implement the projects, as well as public outreach to various groups who help shape the priorities of the plan.

You can learn more in this summary of the Capital Improvement Plan, or by reading the full, glossy version here (.pdf).