Townsend Corridor Improvement Project Update - April 2019

With quick-build improvements in the ground at the end of 2018, we are moving to complete the necessary design and planning required to finalize the entire Townsend Corridor Improvement project. We are committed to building a safer path of travel for people on bicycles, as well as pedestrians, transit riders, regional travelers, and vehicular traffic.

Following environmental clearance, the project was reviewed and approved by the SFMTA Board of Directors in November 2018. While some quick-build changes were installed shortly thereafter, there is more work to be done. Final construction is slated for the summer of 2019.

Starting in 2016, SFMTA staff began working with the community and the wide variety of users of Townsend Street to better understand their traffic safety needs and concerns when using the corridor. As a result of this process, we integrated community feedback and engineering and feasibility analysis to design a project that focused on safety and efficiency of travel through the corridor.

As a result, the final design for Townsend Street includes protected bike lanes and a block-long sidewalk island (where sidewalks currently do not exist) to accommodate high intensity loading activity at the Caltrain Station. This sidewalk island will also as a physical barrier to protect the bikeway and reduces the number of conflicts on the roadway.

Additionally, regional bus drop-off/pick-up will be relocated to reduce congestion close to Caltrain, and the 47 Van Ness turn around will be altered to ensure that people riding transit will benefit from more reliable service.

Block-by-block plans of proposed changes to Townsend Street can be found here.

You can stay connected to the project by signing up for e-mail updates.

For questions or concerns, please contact Jonathan Streeter at jonathan.streeter@sfmta.com.