Press Release - 3rd Street Quick-Build Creates Vital Connection in San Francisco Transportation Network
SAN FRANCISCO - The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey, with support from the San Francisco Giants, held a ribbon cutting today celebrating the recently established 3rd Street Quick-Build Project. Built just in time for baseball season, the project enhances safety and access for walking, biking, scooting and rolling on 3rd Street between Townsend Street and the Lefty O’Doul Bridge. The protected two-way bikeway fills a key gap in the bicycle network for people going between the areas of South of Market, the Embarcadero/King Street corridor, Oracle Park, Mission Bay, the San Francisco Bay Trail, and to Southeast San Francisco.
“As a daily bike share user, I am thrilled that 3rd Street between Townsend Street and the Lefty O’Doul Bridge will finally be connected with a two-way bike lane that will create a safer experience for people biking, scooting and rolling to their homes, jobs, local businesses and Oracle Park,” said District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey. “Quick-Build projects like this are essential for making progress on both our ambitious Vision Zero and climate goals.”
The support of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the San Francisco County Transportation Authority have made all our Quick-Build projects possible. The SFMTA continues to work to make streets safe and reduce carbon emissions with Quick-Build Projects to encourage alternative methods of transportation like biking, walking, scooting and rolling. This project connects to new bikeway improvements in Mission Bay and the Mission Rock development under construction, including the City’s first sidewalk level bikeway along 3rd Street.
“This new and vital connection on 3rd street shows what our Quick-Builds are capable of,” said SFMTA Director of Transportation Jeffrey Tumlin. “This project went from planning to completion in just six months. Now we have a critical link in our bike network with a safe and inviting option for no-carbon transportation.”
This project adds to over 50 miles of Quick-Build safety improvements, our program that allows us to finish safety projects faster and for less money than traditional construction projects. After SFMTA Board approval Tuesday March 5, SFMTA in-house shops teams began working immediately to deliver the safety improvements to the 3rd Street corridor from the Lefty O'Doul 3rd Street Bridge to Townsend Street.
“The SFMTA Board of Directors approved this project on March 5 and here we are on March 29 already cutting the ribbon,” said SFMTA Board of Directors Chair Amanda Eaken. “I’m delighted that we’re finally closing this key gap in our bike network to give people a safe, comfortable, convenient option to get to the ballpark – and skip the traffic.”
The SFMTA also moved a bikeshare station to the new bike lane to be right in front of Oracle Park for seamless pick-up and drop-off from the bike lane. With racks that fit over 100 bikes and the Giants Bike Valet program that’s overseen by the Bike Coalition, biking to Oracle Park to enjoy a baseball game is easier and more fun than ever.
“As our 2024 baseball season starts, we are thrilled that Giants fans have more convenient biking and walking options to Oracle Park than ever before,” said Alfonso Felder, Chief Operations and Experience Officer of the San Francisco Giants. “This new bikeway and a beautiful new segment of the Bay Trail through Mission Rock’s China Basin Park that opens in early April are two more advancements we’ve made with our city agency partners to continue providing unmatched gameday experiences for Giants fans.”
The SFMTA remains deeply committed to safe streets for everyone walking, biking, scooting and rolling. Projects like the 3rd Street Quick-Build are what make our streets and the people who use them safer and build connections between neighborhoods to create an equitable and enjoyable transportation network in San Francisco. More details and project updates can be found at our 3rd Street Quick-Build Project Website (SFMTA.com/3rdStreetQB).
ABOUT THE SFMTA
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) is a department of the City and County of San Francisco responsible for the management of all ground transportation in the city. The SFMTA has oversight over the Municipal Railway (Muni) public transit, as well as bicycling, paratransit, parking, traffic, walking, and taxis. Established by voter mandate in 1999, the SFMTA aggregated multiple San Francisco city agencies, including the Department of Parking and Traffic, Muni, and since 2007, the Taxi Commission.