As we approach the end of 2025, we’re excited about all we’ve accomplished this past year on the 13th Street and Duboce Avenue corridor, and what’s to come in 2026 for the 13th Street Safety Project. Keep reading for a sneak peek of a cool piece of infrastructure you’ll see later this month!
Why are we doing this work?
13th Street is part of the city’s High-Injury Network, the 12% of city roads where 68% of severe injuries and fatalities due to crashes happen. In the past 5 years, there have been 95 crashes where people sustained injuries. Where South Van Ness and Mission meet 13th Street are in the top 3 intersections for collisions in San Francisco. That’s why we’re working to make the 13th Street corridor safer and more comfortable for everyone who travels here, whether walking, rolling, biking or driving.
Our progress this year
This year, we worked on critical infrastructure underground that sets the stage for what’s next above the surface. That work included:
- Installing new signal conduits and pull boxes that will provide power to the new traffic lights and street lights.
- Building manholes and removing abandoned utilities to support essential underground utility service connections.
- Relocating hydrants, installing catch basins and constructing culverts to improve drainage and water system performance.
We’ve also conducted extensive outreach to area businesses, residents and community stakeholders to make sure that everyone is aware of what the project is. You may have seen us at events at Rainbow Grocery and Sunday Streets.
What’s next for 2026
In 2026, we’ll do the remainder of the above-ground work, with the goal of wrapping up construction by early 2027. This will include:
- Moving the fence line outside of the Division Circle Navigation Center and putting in new sidewalk so that people can continue walking down South Van Ness Avenue without having to dash into traffic.
- Building new curb ramps, pedestrian bulbouts and islands to improve accessibility for people with limited mobility or using strollers.
- Repaving the street will provide a smooth new asphalt surface.
- Installing a new protected bikeway that uses concrete medians to separate people on bikes from cars. This will make it safer and more comfortable to bike from the Mission to Potrero Hill, Dogpatch and Mission Bay, while helping to fill in some of the crucial missing pieces of the San Francisco Bicycle Network.
- Right-sizing parking and loading for those who live, work and shop in the area.
And, we’ll also be installing San Francisco’s first horizontal traffic signals!
Horizontal traffic signals coming to SF
As you may have noticed, the freeway deck above this corridor is low in some spots. This makes it hard to see typical traffic signals from a distance, and if we lower them for better visibility, tall vehicles can knock them down. We’ll be installing horizontal traffic signals, that, from left to right, go red, yellow, green. These are compliant traffic signals that exist in other parts of the country, but we’re installing them here for the first time in San Francisco. It may take a little time to get used to these, but we’re confident that these are the right solution for this corridor.
Have questions about any of this work? Check out our project page or email us at 13thStreetSafety@SFMTA.com.