Week of May 6, 2024: What’s been happening recently on Geary Boulevard

Most of the Quick-Build phase of the Geary Boulevard Improvement Project was completed in late 2023, marking a major step towards better bus service and safer streets for people traveling on Geary. Since then, the SFMTA has been busy with the final elements of the Quick-Build and planning for the construction of the full project.

Here’s an update on recent and upcoming changes:

• Bus shelters at relocated bus stops are coming soon! Bus shelters require a permit that is issued by San Francisco Public Works (SF Public Works) after a public hearing. The hearing should happen soon, with shelter installation shortly thereafter sometime this summer. When the hearing date is finalized, we will send out an update to our project subscriber list, as well as publish it on our website.
• Several small color curb changes were made in response to stakeholder feedback, such as adjustments to loading zone hours to support businesses.

An example of color curb changes we made to address merchant feedback: General Loading Zone hours were modified on the 5800 block of Geary.

• 71 new bicycle parking racks were installed on sidewalks throughout the corridor near businesses and other busy locations.

New sidewalk bicycle parking rack on 3rd Avenue at Geary.

• Data collection to evaluate the Quick-Build project is taking place in April and May. This includes traffic counts, travel time data and bus lane compliance observations. The evaluation findings will be shared this fall.
• Relocation of the 14th Avenue bike-share station onto the Park Presidio greenway is in progress. Two small trees were removed in April to enable the sidewalk to be widened; they will be replaced with four new trees in the vicinity. The bike-share station will be moved later this year, which will add three new parking spaces on 14th Avenue.
• A new lagging left-turn arrow at 11th Avenue is planned to be implemented in the coming months. This will allow for easier turns from westbound Geary to southbound 11th Avenue at the end of the traffic signal’s green phase.
• This summer, a temporary bus bulb is planned to be built at the 25th Avenue inbound stop. This will extend the sidewalk to provide space for a bus shelter and more waiting room for passengers. A larger permanent bulb will be installed in 2027 during the full project construction.
• The outbound 6th Avenue bus stop is planned to be relocated to a new permanent farside bus bulb later this year. This stop relocation was delayed in order to coordinate work with the affordable housing development underway at 4200 Geary Boulevard.

Next steps for Community Enhancement

The SFMTA is planning a community beautification element that will be constructed as part of the full project. We held a public survey and an open house in April to gather feedback about potential options for this community enhancement. Thanks to the over 1,800 people who completed the survey. The results will be shared this summer. A second round of outreach will take place in the fall to get feedback on the details of the chosen option(s).

Construction to upgrade aging utilities starting early 2025

Starting in early 2025, the SFPUC will begin upgrading Geary’s aging sewer and water infrastructure. You can learn more about their critical work at the Geary Boulevard Sewer and Water Improvements project page (SFPUC.org/GearyUpgrades).

Additional transit and safety improvements after SFPUC water and sewer upgrades

Once SFPUC’s underground work is complete, work will begin on the remaining transit and safety improvements, including bus bulbs, pedestrian bulbs, median refuges and traffic signal upgrades. This surface work will take about 15 months, and includes roadway repaving and coloring the transit lanes red, as well as the chosen community enhancement element(s).

Learn more and sign up for updates at the Geary Boulevard Improvement Project project page (SFMTA.com/Geary).