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

Geary Boulevard Improvement Project unanimously approved

Redering showing Geary Boulevard at 20th Avenue, with new transit lanes, bus bulb, median refuges and relocated bus stops.

On Tuesday, August 15, 2023, the SFMTA Board of Directors unanimously approved the Geary Boulevard Improvement Project, including the full Quick-Build component of the project. Watch the August 15 Board hearing.

We’d like to thank everyone who has provided valuable feedback throughout the outreach process. We have heard from hundreds of community members over the last two and a half years via emails, online petitions, phone calls, community events and over 50 comments that were made during the hearing on Tuesday. Your input has been crucial to making the final project design one that will better serve the community.

Some common themes that were shared with the SFMTA Board were:

  • Businesses are still recovering from the effects of Covid-19 and need more time to recover. Many businesses have closed on Geary and removing parking will be an additional hardship to merchants that are already struggling to survive.
  • Improving transit is necessary to attract more riders, provide more service at a time when the SFMTA is under serious financial constraints, and to address future transportation needs that will come with anticipated growth in the Richmond. Existing riders including students, families and seniors want to see their ride improved.
  • Given Geary’s status as a high-injury corridor, safety improvements cannot wait.
  • Transit/safety improvements and sidewalk widening will make Geary Boulevard a more walkable and inviting place for people to visit, which could help local businesses.
  • Environmental benefits of the project and the urgency of getting more people out of cars given the climate emergency.
  • Outreach fatigue that the project has been under discussion for 20 years, that the current design already incorporates feedback from a diversity of stakeholders, and it should not be delayed any longer.
  • Comments from residents who are concerned about the impacts of having a bus stop relocated in front of their home.

Next steps: Implementing the Quick-Build this fall 2023

Now that the project has been approved, “Quick-Build” treatments are planned to be installed this fall. This work can be done quickly in 1-2 days per block with only paint and signs and includes transit lanes, new parking on cross streets, bus stop relocations, left turn restrictions and daylighting for pedestrian safety. Quick-Build does not involve any excavation and will take about three months total to complete the entire corridor. Learn more about Quick-Build.

Construction of other transit and safety improvements are planned beginning in late 2026.

Graphic showing construction schedule for the Geary Boulevard Improvement Project. • Outreach continues from now until the end of construction. • Quick-build transit and safety treatments are planned to begin in mid-2023 and last for a few months. This includes bus lanes, bus stop changes, pedestrian safety treatments, and roadway striping changes. • Utility upgrades are planned to begin in early 2025 until mid-2027. This includes water main replacement from 32nd Avenue to Stanyan; sewer main replacement from 31st to 24th and 14th to Stanyan; and fiber optic cable conduits from 25th to Stanyan. • Major transit and safety improvements are planned to begin in late 2026 until late 2027. This includes bus bulbs, pedestrian bulbs, upgraded traffic signals, and roadway repaving.

Support for Geary businesses

The Geary Boulevard Improvement Project has set aside funds to create a customized marketing campaign to attract customers to the Geary corridor. We're seeking business owners and representatives to form a Small Business Working Group to help decide what kind of marketing support would best help businesses on Geary.

Want to get involved in creating a plan to help Geary thrive? Contact us at ImproveGeary@SFMTA.com for more information.