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Central Subway Construction Update 4/5/13

Construction Update

April 6-15, 2013

During the next 10 days, construction to prepare for tunneling will continue in SoMa and Union Square. No Central Subway construction is planned to occur in Chinatown or North Beach.

For descriptions of construction impacts in each neighborhood, scroll down or click on the links below. We also post construction, traffic detour and Muni impact information on our project Google Map.

Construction impacts are planned to change at these locations by April 15:

 

  • Southern SoMa (Harrison to King/Berry): Full closure of 4th Street between Harrison and Bryant will be in effect the weekend of April 13-14 to accommodate sewer work. On weekdays and on the weekend of April 6-7, two lanes of traffic will remain open on this block. Launch box construction will continue. Starting Monday, April 15, a gantry crane will be installed over 4th Street at the southern end of the block. 4th Street may be closed at night to install the crane.
  • Northern SoMa (Market to Harrison): The temporary taxi stand on 4th Street between Market and Stevenson has been removed due to safety and traffic flow concerns. On that block, the sidewalk and two traffic lanes will remain closed on the eastern side of the street. Two lanes of traffic will remain closed on 4th Street between Howard and Folsom. One lane will remain closed on 4th Street between Folsom and Harrison.
  • Union Square: Starting next Saturday, April 13, Saturday work hours at this site will be from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Stockton Street between Geary and Ellis will remain closed to vehicle traffic. Ellis Street between Stockton and Powell will remain closed to westbound traffic.

At these locations, current construction impacts are planned to continue until April 15:

 

 

  • Chinatown: No construction planned
  • North Beach: No construction planned

We appreciate your patience and support while we build this essential upgrade to San Francisco's public transportation system.

-The Central Subway Team Photo of launch box ramp
Next week crews will begin building a cement floor to complete this access ramp. Southern SoMa

 

4th Street from Harrison to King/Berry

On 4th Street between Harrison and Bryant streets, the contractor is constructing a major excavation known as a launch box at the site where tunneling will begin this year.

Planned construction:

 

  • Construct launch box floor slab
  • Construct access ramp floor slab
  • Install gantry crane
  • Remove temporary launch box supports
  • Perform sewer work
  • Install geotechnical instruments at 4th and Harrison

Traffic and pedestrian impacts:

 

 

  • The two lanes on the east side of the street (left lanes for southbound traffic) will remain open to vehicle traffic except as described below
  • From Friday, April 12, at 8 p.m. until Monday, April 15, at 4 a.m., the block will be closed to vehicle traffic.
  • Starting Monday, April 15, 4th Street may be closed in the evening from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. to facilitate installation of a gantry crane.
  • The on-ramp to westbound I-80 may be closed from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. on weeknights and all day Saturday and Sunday
  • The sidewalk on the west side of the block will remain closed; the sidewalk on the east side of the block will remain open

Traffic and pedestrian controls are in place. For more information on construction impacts at this site, check out this blog post. Photo of rebar construction on 4th Street
This rebar cage will be installed underground as part of the Yerba Buena/Moscone Station's walls. Northern SoMa

 

4th Street from Market to Harrison

On 4th Street between Howard and Folsom streets, the contractor is constructing below-ground walls, called headwalls, at the site of the future Yerba Buena/Moscone Station. The walls will cross 4th Street at two points on this block. For more information on construction at this site, check out this blog post.

In addition, the contractor is performing ground improvement work (installation of compensation grout tubes) on 4th Street between Folsom and Harrison. More information is available in this construction notice. 

Ground improvement work on 4th Street between Market and Stevenson is also underway. For more information on upcoming construction at this site, check out this construction notice.

Planned construction (Market to Stevenson):

 

  • Install subsurface piping for ground improvements
  • Perform ground improvements

Traffic and pedestrian impacts (Market to Stevenson):

 

 

  • Two lanes on the eastern side of the street (near Ross) will be closed
  • The sidewalk on the eastern side of the street will be closed. A protected pedestrian walkway will be in place around the construction zone.
  • The temporary taxi stand was removed due to traffic flow and safety concerns. Traffic engineers are investigating alternative setups for the temporary taxi stand.

Planned construction (Howard to Folsom):

 

 

  • Construction of new water line
  • Construction of subsurface walls (headwalls)

Traffic and pedestrian impacts (Howard to Folsom):

 

 

  • At least two lanes of traffic on 4th Street will remain open at all times
  • Work will be underway on the eastern side of the block, with at least two lanes open on the western side of the block (right lanes for southbound traffic)
  • The sidewalks will not be impacted

Planned construction (Folsom to Harrison):

 

 

  • Install subsurface piping for ground improvements
  • Perform ground improvements
  • Commence temporary restoration of roadway

Traffic and pedestrian impacts (Folsom to Harrison):

 

 

  • One lane on the eastern side of the street (near Pacific Bicycle and Whole Foods) will be closed
  • The crosswalk crossing 4th Street at Clara Street may be temporarily closed when construction is in progress

Photo of grout shaft on Ellis
On Ellis Street, this shaft will be used to perform ground improvements. Union Square

 

Stockton Street from Market to Post

On Stockton Street between Geary and Ellis streets, the contractor is installing below-ground walls called headwalls at the site of the future Union Square/Market Street Station. In addition, ground improvement is underway on Ellis Street between Stockton and Powell streets.

Planned construction:

 

  • Install headwalls on Stockton Street between Ellis and O'Farrell
  • Excavate ground improvement shaft on Ellis Street
  • TENTATIVE: Construction of covered walkways may begin the week of April 15 on Stockton Street between Geary and O'Farrell.
  • The contractor will continue working two shifts on weekdays, from 6 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. 
  • Starting next Saturday, April 13, Saturday work hours will be from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Traffic, transit and pedestrian impacts:

 

 

  • Stockton Street between Geary and Ellis is closed to all vehicles except emergency vehicles
  • Ellis Street between Stockton and the Ellis-O'Farrell Garage (between Stockton and Powell) is closed to westbound traffic
  • The 38/38L Geary may experience delays around Union Square
  • Sidewalks on Stockton Street between Ellis and Geary will remain open, but they may be narrowed to facilitate construction

More information about construction at this site is available in this construction notice and this press release. Photo of Chinatown Station property
This property on Washington Street is the future location of the Chinatown Station. Chinatown

 

Stockton Street from Sacramento to Broadway

No construction is planned to occur in Chinatown during the next 10 days. Photo of Union near Columbus intersection
No construction is planned in North Beach in the next 10 days. North Beach

Columbus Avenue from Union to Filbert

No construction is planned to occur in North Beach during the next 10 days.

Central Subway Construction Fast Facts

Project Alignment: 4th Street between Berry and Market streets; Stockton Street between Market Street and Columbus Avenue; Columbus Avenue between Stockton and Filbert streets.

Transit Reroutes: The southbound 8X/8AX/8BX Bayshore Express, 30 Stockton, 45 Union/Stockton and 91 Owl Muni bus routes have been rerouted to accommodate construction in Union Square and SoMa. These reroutes will remain in effect throughout the duration of Central Subway construction. More information is available online here.

Contact Us: Should you have questions about construction or the Central Subway Project, don't hesitate to contact our team. You can reach us at central.subway@sfmta.com or by phone at 415-701-4371.

For More Information: The Central Subway team posts frequent project updates on a variety of social media outlets. To find out more about the project and construction progress, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Flickr, and check out our blog.

Construction schedules are subject to change.