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Central Subway Construction Update 9/12/14

Project Advancements

September 13 - September 22, 2014

During the next 10 days, Central Subway work continues at sites in SoMa, Union Square, Chinatown and North Beach. This section contains brief updates about recent construction activities and a look-ahead for what to expect in each neighborhood. For more detailed information, scroll down or click on the links below. You can also find construction, traffic detour, and Muni impact information on our project Google Map.

Schedules may change, and we encourage the public to follow all traffic and pedestrian notifications posted at the work sites.

Southern SoMa (Harrison to King): Construction crews are relocating and installing new utilities along 4th Street from Bryant to King streets.

  • On 4th Street between Bryant and Brannan:
    • At Bryant Street, excavation of an AT&T vault and installation of a sewer continues.
      • Muni service impact: 47 Van Ness Line bus stop temporarily relocated to mid-block.
    • At Freelon Street, excavation of a sewer man-hole continues. Freelon Street is closed to through traffic until late September.
  • On 4th Street between Brannan and King:
    • Sewer line cleaning continues.
    • At Bluxome Street, installation of an AT&T vault continues.

Northern SoMa (Market to Harrison): Construction crews are building walls and replacing a water line along 4th Street from Howard to Folsom streets.

  • On 4th Street between Howard and Folsom:
    • Traffic reduced to one traffic lane starting Sept. 14.
    • At Clementina Street, closure to through traffic.
    • At Folsom Street, replacement of water line continues.

Union Square: Construction crews are excavating the site, building station walls and relocating utilities along Stockton Street between Ellis and Post streets.

  • On Stockton Street between Ellis and Post:
    • Ellis Street to Geary Boulevard, closure to vehicular traffic.
    • At O'Farrell Street, reduction to one traffic lane.
      • Sidewalk closure scheduled overnight 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. for the next few weeks.
    • At Geary Boulevard, reduction to one traffic lane.
      • Starting Sept. 13 the crosswalk on the north side of Geary Boulevard will open. The crosswalk on the south side of Geary Boulevard will temporarily close.
      • Muni service impact: Bus stop at Geary Boulevard and Stockton Street temporarily discontinued until early October. Board bus on Geary Boulevard at Powell Street.
  • On Ellis Street between Stockton and Powell:
    • Ellis Street is temporarily closed to westbound traffic.

Chinatown: Construction crews are building station walls and installing new utilities at 933-949 Stockton Street between Clay and Washington streets.

  • On Washington Street between Stockton and Trenton:
    • Street is closed to through traffic.
  • On Washington Street between Stockton and Spofford:
    • Replacement of water pipeline continues.
    • Installation of a new fire hyrdrant continues.

North Beach: Construction crews are removing the final tunnel boring machine (TBM) and restoring the site.

  • 1731-1741 Powell:
    • Removal of TBM continues.
  • On Columbus Avenue between Union and Filbert:
    • Installation of new street lights and landscaping by Sustainable Streets continues.

We thank the businesses, residents, shoppers, and commuters of San Francisco for their continued engagement with this significant investment in the extension of our public transportation system.

The Central Subway Team On 4th Street between Brannan and King streets, work on cleaning a sewer line continues.
  Southern SoMa

4th Street from Harrison Street to King Street

On 4th Street between Harrison and Bryant streets, the contractor constructed a major excavation known as a launch box at the site where the Central Subway tunnels begin. Underground operations are based here. On 4th Street between Bryant and King streets, relocation and installation of utilities continues.

Planned construction (Harrison to Bryant):

  • Removal of utilities and continued cleanup of southbound tunnel.

Traffic and pedestrian impacts (Harrison to Bryant):

  • The two lanes on the east side of 4th 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.
    • The sidewalk on the west side of the block will remain closed; the sidewalk on the east side of the block will remain open.

Planned construction (Bryant to King):

  • Excavation of an AT&T vault on 4th Street between Bryant and Welsh streets.
  • Sewer installation on Bryant Street between 4th and 5th streets.
  • Installation of AT&T duct bank on 4th Street between Bryant and Bluxome streets.
  • Excavation of a sewer man-hole on Freelon between 4th and Zoe streets.
  • Sewer line cleaning on 4th Street between Brannan and King streets.
  • Installation of an AT&T vault on 4th Street at Bluxome Street.
  • Work may involve jack-hammering and cutting holes in the road and sidewalk. Please expect an increase in noise.
  • Work hours will be Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Traffic and pedestrian impacts (Bryant to King):

  • Temporary partial lane closures on 4th Street in the vicinity of the construction zones.
  • Right lane of Interstate 80 off-ramp at 4th and Bryant streets temporarily closed.
  • The Muni 47 Van Ness Line bus stop on 4th Street at Bryant Street temporarily relocated mid-block.
  • Street closure of Freelon Street between 4th and Zoe streets.
  • Parking will be impacted in the vicinity of the construction zone. The contractor will post notification as required.
  • Sidewalk access may be limited. The contractor will maintain a safe path of travel.
  • The contractor will maintain access to businesses during business hours.

On 4th Street between Howard and Folsom streets, work continues on building station walls.
  Northern SoMa

4th Street from Market Street to Harrison Street

  On 4th Street between Howard and Folsom streets, work to construct the Yerba Buena/Moscone Station is in progress. The construction of underground station walls and replacement of a water line is ongoing. Night work continues from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., Monday through Friday.

Planned construction (Howard to Folsom):

  • Construction of station walls.
  • Replacement of water line at 4th and Folsom streets.
  • Removal of underground wall on 4th Street.

Traffic and pedestrian impacts (Howard to Folsom):

  • Starting Sept. 14, expect 4th Street from Howard to Folsom streets to be reduced to one lane of traffic until early November.
  • Street closure of Clementina Street at 4th Street.
  • The sidewalk along 4th Street between Clementina and Folsom streets is closed. Follow directional signs.
  • Lane closures along Folsom Street at 4th Street.

Workers remove excess concrete around steel I-beams. The beams will be attached
to a future roof deck structure. Union Square

Stockton Street from Ellis Street to Post Street

On Stockton Street between Ellis and Post streets, contractor Tutor Perini is building the Union Square/Market Street Station. Construction is in progress with the roadway closed to vehicular traffic on Stockton Street between Ellis Street and Geary Boulevard.

On Ellis Street between Stockton and Powell streets, crews continue with pile installation to construct station walls.

Planned construction (Ellis to Post):

  • Pile installation to construct station walls which includes overnight pile installation on Stockton Street at Geary Boulevard and O'Farrell Street.
  • Obstruction removal, relocation of utilities and pile installation on Stockton Street between Geary Boulevard and Post Street.
  • Construction hours will be 24 hours a day, Monday to Saturday, Sunday work may be required.

Traffic, transit and pedestrian impacts (Ellis to Post): 

  • Stockton Street between Ellis Street and Geary Boulevard is closed to vehicular traffic.
    • Sidewalks will remain open, but they will be narrowed.
  • Overnight sidewalk closure between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. on the northeast corner of Stockton Street at O'Farrell Street for next three weeks.
  • At Stockton and O'Farrell streets, expect traffic to merge to one lane until early October.
  • At Stockton Street and Geary Boulevard, expect traffic to merge to one lane until early October.
  • The bus stop on Geary Boulevard at Stockton Street will be temporarily closed until early October. Please board bus on Geary Boulevard at Powell Street.

Planned construction (Ellis Street):

  • Pile installation to construct station walls.

Traffic, transit and pedestrian impacts (Ellis Street):

  • Westbound traffic between Stockton Street and the Ellis-O'Farrell Garage (between Stockton and Powell streets) remains closed.

Near the intersection of Stockton and Washington streets, excavation of the future
Chinatown Station site continues.
  Chinatown

Stockton Street from Clay Street to Washington Street

  At 933-949 Stockton Street, construction of Chinatown Station is underway.
  Planned construction: (Clay to Washington)

  • Construction of station walls.
  • Construction hours are Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
  • Rebar delivery between the hours of 4 a.m. and 6 a.m.

Traffic, transit and pedestrian impacts: (Clay to Washington)

  • The parking lanes on both sides of Stockton Street at Clay Street may close during construction hours.

Planned construction: (Washington Street)

  • Replacement of the high pressure water pipeline and installation of a new fire hydrant between Stockton and Spofford streets.
  • Work hours are Monday to Friday between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.

Traffic, transit and pedestrian impacts: (Washington Street)

  • Washington Street between Stockton and Trenton streets remains closed.
  • Washington Street between Powell Street and the construction zone has been converted into a two-way street.
  • Both parking lanes along Washington Street between Waverly Place and Stockton Street are closed while fire hydrant-work is conducted.
  • Directional signage will be posted for impacted sidewalks.

Workers are disassembling tunnel boring machine (TBM) Mom Chung's forward shield section.
  North Beach

Powell Street from Union Street to Filbert Street

At 1731-1741 Powell, ongoing removal of remaining TBM Mom Chung continues.The majority of the work at this location is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

On Columbus Avenue between Union and Filbert streets, street lighting and landscaping will be completed by the end of 2014.

Planned construction (1731-1741 Powell):

  • Removal of the TBM.
  • Construction hours are 24 hours a day, Monday to Friday with weekend and evening work required at times.
  • To facilitate removal of the TBM, work to transport the oversize equipment through the night will be required on a case-by-case basis.

Traffic, transit and pedestrian impacts (1731-1741 Powell):

  • Several parking spaces may be closed in front of the construction area and in the vicinity of Columbus Avenue and Union Street.
  • During the evening closure, sidewalk and parking may be impacted on either side of Powell Street.

Planned construction (Union to Filbert):

  • New street lighting and landscaping on Columbus Avenue between Union and Filbert streets. More information is available in this notice.

Connecting People. Connecting Communities.

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: If you have questions about construction or the Central Subway Project 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.