FINAL UPDATE: Delay at Market and 4th is clearing. IB #FMarket is resuming service. (More: 19 in last 48 hours)

This page has older content

Please see Related Projects on this page for current project information. We are keeping this page as a record of SFMTA outreach.

Central Subway Construction Update 8/16/13

August 17-26, 2013

During the next 10 days, construction to prepare for tunneling will continue in SoMa and Union Square. In North Beach, demolition of the Pagoda Palace will continue. No Central Subway construction is planned in Chinatown.

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 August 26:

 

  • North Beach: For approximately five days, starting Monday, August 19, through traffic on Powell Street between Columbus Avenue and Union Street will be restricted during working hours (7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.). Local vehicle access to Powell Street will be provided from Union Street. At the end of each working day, the contractor will re-establish the regular traffic pattern. This temporary traffic modification will allow us to enhance public safety protections while demolishing the building's facade. See this diagram for details. Parking will be impacted in front of the Pagoda Palace property. The sidewalk in front of the property may be closed.

At these locations, current construction impacts are planned to continue until
August 26:

 

 

  • Southern SoMa (Harrison to King/Berry): Two lanes of traffic will remain open on 4th Street between Harrison and Bryant. On Bryant Street at 5th Street, the left lane and several parking spaces will remain closed.
  • Northern SoMa (Market to Harrison): 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.
  • Chinatown: No construction planned.
  • 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.

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

-The Central Subway Team tunnel construction
Inside the control room, two workers operate TBM Mom Chung. The machine has tunneled more than 200 feet since launching last month.

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 the Central Subway tunnel begins. After assembly of a tunnel boring machine (TBM) underground, tunneling started this summer.

Planned construction:

 

  • Construct tunnel for southbound trains (TBM Mom Chung)
  • Install conveyor and facilities for TBM Mom Chung
  • Install and assemble TBM Big Alma

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.
  • 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.
4th Street from above
On 4th Street between Howard and Folsom, we're completing installation of a water line.

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. Water line work is now 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):

  • Restore roadway and sidewalk

Traffic and pedestrian impacts (Market to Stevenson):

  • Two lanes on the eastern side of the street (near Ross) will be closed

Planned construction (Howard to Folsom):

  • Install and test water line
  • Commence restoration of site

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
  • The crosswalk crossing 4th Street on the north side of Folsom will remain closed

Construction on Stockton Street
Two workers guide a steal beam as it's lowered underground. The beam will reinforce subsurface walls at the site of the future Union Square/Market Street Station.

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:

Stockton between Ellis and O'Farrell:

 

  • Perform ground improvements

Stockton between O'Farrell and Geary:

 

 

  • Install headwalls

Ellis between Stockton and Powell:

 

 

  • Install ground improvement pipes in Ellis Street shaft

All blocks:

 

 

  • 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 inside of Pagoda theater
Inside the Pagoda Palace, crews use a handheld jackhammer to demolish a brick wall, spraying the area with water to reduce dust.

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.

The first phase of construction at this site is the demolition of the Pagoda Palace. Check out this fact sheet for more details.

This week the contractor installed scaffolding on the northern side of the building to provide additional safety protections during demolition.

Planned construction:

 

  • Demolish building
  • Construction hours are Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., though work may continue inside the building until 5 p.m.

 

Traffic, transit and pedestrian impacts:

  • For approximately five days, starting Monday, August 19, through traffic on Powell Street between Columbus Avenue and Union Street will be restricted during working hours (7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.). Local vehicle access to Powell Street will be provided from Union Street. This temporary traffic modification will allow us to enhance public safety protections while demolishing the building's facade. At the end of each working day, the contractor will re-establish the regular traffic pattern. Check out this diagram for more details.
  • Several parking spaces in front of the property will be impacted.
  • The sidewalk in front of the property and the crosswalk crossing Powell Street at Columbus Avenue may be closed. A temporary walkway will be in place around the construction zone while walkways are impacted.
  • The Muni 39 Coit will be temporarily rerouted, but no stops will be impacted. More information is available in our fact sheet.

Central Subway Construction Fast Facts

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