Townsend Street Improvement Project Gets Underway
As the Townsend Street Improvement Project gets underway, important safety-enhancing changes are coming to this busy corridor. Townsend Street has evolved in just two decades from an area of low-traffic and industrial buildings to become one of the most vibrant and heavily used corridors in San Francisco. The nexus of this thoroughfare is the intersection of Townsend and 4th streets where the regional Caltrain Station and the soon-to-be-completed Central Subway light rail converge. Thousands of people an hour access this regional transportation hub by bicycle, foot, rail, shuttle bus, ride-share vehicle, taxi, personal vehicle, or by one of the eight Muni bus routes on Townsend Street.
Initially, the most noticeable impact will be construction along Townsend Street between the Caltrain station at 4th Street, westward towards 5th Street. On that block, our project partner, San Francisco Public Works, will build a new sidewalk island with bus boarding zones and protected bikeways, with many needed improvements to curb ramps, catch basins and the street.
Reconfiguring Townsend Street to allow for construction will mean removing all parking on the block from 4th to 5th streets, as well as removing the on-street bike share station by Caltrain (the on-sidewalk station will remain). Starting September 7th, riders on the 47 Van Ness and 83X Mid-Market Express will find their stops have moved across the street as those lines will now run down 5th Street. They will continue along Townsend Street turning left at 3rd Street to resume their routes. Also, the taxi zone will be temporarily relocated around the corner onto 4th Street during construction and new temporary passenger loading zones will be created near Townsend/Lusk.
As construction progresses throughout the rest of the year, additional safety improvements for pedestrians and people on bicycles will extend along Townsend Street all the way to the traffic circle at 8th Street. During this time period, access will be maintained at all times for vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles, with changes to accommodate construction crews working on Townsend Street.
Throughout this project, we have worked with the local community to design and build an efficient and safe Townsend Street where all modes of travel are separated into comfortable and intuitive spaces. When complete, the project will transform Townsend Street from 3rd Street to 8th Street, by creating a more organized roadway and streetscape for all.
For changes to bike share, taxis, Muni stops, loading zones and parking, visit our project page.