Implementation of more safety improvements near West Portal will begin the week of September 16. Crews will begin implementing more safety improvements included in the project.
This work will include traffic calming improvements on Wawona and Ulloa streets, safety improvements at the five-way Vicente Street/Wawona Street/Madrone Avenue intersection, vehicle restrictions and transit lanes.
We expect implementation work to take place between late September and early October 2024.
The West Portal Station Safety and Community Space Improvements Project aims to holistically improve safety near West Portal Station.
Mayor London Breed and District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar asked the SFMTA to improve traffic safety near West Portal Station in light of the tragic incident killing four pedestrians that occurred on March 16, 2024. The project was launched in April 2024 both in response to this collision and in consideration of a broader context of community requests and City and agency priorities for the area including:
- Community requests to improve the intersection of West Portal Avenue and Ulloa Street to provide a more intuitive and simpler intersection
- Community requests for beautification and place-making within the West Portal station area
- The importance of minimizing delays to Muni Metro in this location which can create cascading delays in the subway
West Portal Station is a key connection point in San Francisco’s transportation system. Three rail lines and two bus routes serving 50,000 daily riders intersect at West Portal Avenue and Ulloa Street, where the Twin Peaks Tunnel links the light rail lines to the Market Street Subway. Altogether, about 5,000 riders board near West Portal Station each day (April 2024).
West Portal is also home to a vibrant commercial corridor full of unique restaurants and shops. Many youth also travel in the area including students from nearby schools like Hoover Middle School and St. Brendan Parish School, who cross the intersection to board transit and visit neighborhood businesses. And families with children at West Portal Elementary, which is just a block away, regularly travel through this area. In addition, the West Portal Playground and West Portal Library are located very close to the station and generate significant travel activity from families, particularly those with children.
Project goals:
- Calm traffic in the West Portal neighborhood to signal to people driving to slow down as they approach an area with significant pedestrian activity.
- Simplify the West Portal Avenue and Ulloa Street intersection to discourage through-traffic and better define the right of way in this unusually busy node of pedestrian activity.
- Redesign the station entrance “horseshoe” to visually enhance the station entrance, provide more room for people, and help direct riders to the best path of travel.
- Support a vibrant West Portal commercial corridor to ensure customers traveling by all modes of travel are able to easily access the commercial area.
District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar on the Project:
“West Portal is one of the most travelled and cherished neighborhoods in San Francisco. Its station should exemplify the name: a portal to the westside. But our current station is in dire need of improvements to make it safer for people going to work, school, and frequenting our small businesses. My office is working closely with the SFMTA and the Mayor’s Office to be bold and swift with the necessary improvements at the West Portal Station Project."
Predicted Completion: Late 2024 / early 2025
Note: this project’s focus is on delivering a near-term safety project. After quick build implementation is complete, we will monitor results and make adjustments as needed. Additionally, we will review the project’s effectiveness and consider additional improvements using more permanent materials.
- Implementation / Construction
Approved Project Improvements
Project Outreach
The project launched outreach in April 2024 with proposed designs, pop-up events on the corridor, a multilingual community survey and meetings with community groups.
In response to this feedback gained through this initial outreach, Supervisor Myrna Melgar, in collaboration with the West Portal Merchants’ Association convened the Welcoming West Portal Committee. The group's meetings were a forum to collaboratively explore opportunities to refine and develop additional project proposals to address community concerns while preserving the project goal to improve traffic safety.
These Committee meetings and additional community engagement led the project team to develop several alternative proposal options. The project team received feedback on these proposals from community members, including at a June 4 SFMTA Board meeting.
Based on feedback, the project team developed a revised proposal that was shared with public for feedback. At the July 16 SFMTA Board meeting, board members voted unanimously to approve the project's revised proposal.