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Central Subway Construction Update 6/28/13

Construction Update

June 29-July 15, 2013

During the next 17 days, construction to prepare for tunneling will continue in SoMa and Union Square. In North Beach, Pagoda Palace demolition contractor MH Construction will perform surveys of the site. No Central Subway construction is planned in Chinatown.

In honor of the holiday, Central Subway construction will pause on Thursday, July 4.

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 July 15:

 

  • North Beach: Demolition of the Pagoda Palace Theater is scheduled to start Monday, July 8. For more information about construction at this site, check out this construction notice. We will provide detailed information about construction impacts next week, before demolition begins.
  • Northern SoMa (Market to Harrison): To allow for ground improvements, construction will be underway for 24 hours a day from June 28 until the morning of June 30 on 4th Street between Howard and Folsom (details in the Northern SoMa section). Two lanes of traffic will remain closed on 4th Street between Howard and Folsom. On 4th Street between Market and Stevenson, the sidewalk and two traffic lanes will remain closed on the eastern side of the street.

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

 

 

  • Southern SoMa (Harrison to King/Berry): Full closure of 4th Street between Harrison and Bryant will continue some evenings and weekends. Two lanes of traffic will remain open at all other times. Contact us at central.subway@sfmta.com if you have questions about the closure schedule. On Bryant Street at 5th Street, the left lane and several parking spaces will remain closed.
  • Union Square: Stockton Street between Geary and Ellis will remain closed to vehicle traffic. Ellis Street between Stockton and Powell will remain closed to westbound traffic.
  • Chinatown: 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 Teamnorthernsoma Photo of Mom Chung's trailing gear
Underground on 4th Street, we are putting the final touches on tunnel boring machine Mom Chung. She is scheduled to launch in the coming weeks. Southern SoMa

 

4th Street from Harrison to King/Berry

On 4th Street between Harrison and Bryant streets, the contractor has constructed a major excavation known as a launch box at the site where tunneling will begin. After assembly of a tunnel boring machine underground, tunneling will start this summer.

Planned construction:

 

  • Install gantry crane inside launch box
  • Test and commission TBM
  • Launch TBM
  • Construct subway tunnel

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.
  • The block may close to traffic from 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. on weeknights and all day Saturday and Sunday. When the Giants have home games, the closure will start an hour after the game ends.
  • The sidewalk on the west side of the block will remain closed; the sidewalk on the east side of the block will remain open.
  • On Bryant Street at 5th Street, the left lane and several parking spaces will be closed.

Traffic and pedestrian controls are in place. For more information on construction impacts at this site, check out this blog post.
ground stabilizing method
In preparation for tunneling, ground improvements are underway on 4th Street at Folsom.
Northern SoMa

 

4th Street from Market to Harrison

On 4th Street between Howard and Folsom streets, the contractor has constructed below-ground walls, called headwalls, at the site of the future Yerba Buena/Moscone Station. Ground improvement work (jet grouting) is also in progress. 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 Market and Stevenson. More information is available in this construction notice. 

Planned construction (Market to Stevenson):

  • 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.

Planned construction (Howard to Folsom):

  • Perform ground improvements on the eastern side of the block
  • Construction will be underway 24 hours a day starting Friday, June 28, at 6 a.m. and continuing until Sunday, June 30, at 6 a.m.

Traffic and pedestrian impacts (Howard to Folsom):

  • Two lanes of traffic will be closed on the eastern side of the block
  • The sidewalks will not be impacted

Construction on Stockton Street
On Stockton Street, we are using this machines to build underground walls. 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:

 

  • Construct headwalls and demolish guide walls on Stockton Street between Ellis and O'Farrell
  • Mobilize headwall equipment and install headwalls on Stockton Street between O'Farrell and Geary
  • Install ground improvement pipes in Ellis Street shaft
  • The contractor will continue working two shifts on weekdays, from 6 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. 
  • On Saturdays, work hours will be 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 Pagoda theater
The Central Subway tunnel will end at this site in North Beach, now home to the old Pagoda Palace theater. North Beach

Powell Street from Union to Columbus

On private property at 1731-1741 Powell Street, the contractor is preparing to construct a walled excavation known as a retrieval shaft at the site where tunneling will end. The two tunnel boring machines will be removed from the ground at this location.

Demolition of the vacant building will begin in July. Check out this construction notice for more details.

Planned construction:

 

  • Disconnect utilities within building
  • Set up pedestrian detour (July 8)
  • Mobilize demolition equipment (July 8)
  • Demolish building (approx. July 10)
  • Construction hours will be Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
  • We expect demolition to take approximately two weeks to complete

Traffic, transit and pedestrian impacts:

 

 

  • The sidewalk in front of the building will be impacted for approximately one week, starting July 8
  • Starting July 8, parking in front of the building will be impacted
  • Next week we will provide detailed information about construction impacts in a fact sheet, an email update and on our blog (www.centralsubwayblog.com)

 

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.