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 10/3/14

Share this:

Project Advancements

October 4 - October 13, 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 due to unforeseen conditions. 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 streets, sewer line installation to start Oct. 8.
    • Two traffic lanes will remain open Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • On Welsh Street at 4th Street, sewer manhole work.
  • On Freelon Street at 4th Street, sewer manhole work.
  • On Bryant Street between 5th and Zoe streets, installation of a sewer.
  • On 4th Street at Bluxome Street, installation of an AT&T vault.

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

  • Along 4th Street between Folsom and Harrison streets, sewer line replacement scheduled to start Oct. 8.
  • On 4th Street between Howard and Folsom streets, one traffic lane remains open.

Union Square: Construction crews are excavating the site, building station walls and relocating utilities on Stockton Street between Ellis Street and Maiden Lane.

  • On Stockton Street at O'Farrell Street:
    • One traffic lane will remain open.
    • Sidewalk closure on the north side of O'Farrell Street scheduled overnight 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. through the end of October.
  • On Stockton Street at Geary Boulevard:
    • One traffic lane will remain open.
    • Crosswalk on the south side of Geary Boulevard is temporarily closed.
    • Muni service impact: Bus stop at Geary Boulevard and Stockton Street temporarily discontinued until mid-November. Board bus on Geary Boulevard at Powell Street.

Chinatown: Construction crews are building station walls and installing new utilities on Stockton Street between Sacramento and Washington streets.

North Beach: Construction crews continue to remove the remaining tunnel boring machine, associated equipment and restore the site.

  • Sewer cleaning on Columbus Avenue between Union and Filbert streets.

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. When opened in 2019, the Central Subway will provide a much-needed connection between major employment, retail, cultural and residential areas of the city.

The Central Subway Team Under 4th Street between Harrison and Bryant streets, preparatory work on the tunnel portal is underway.  When finished, these tunnels will connect the north and south quadrants of the city.
  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 two Central Subway tunnels begin. Underground operations are based here.

On 4th Street between Bryant and King streets, relocation and installation of utilities continues.

Ongoing 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 will remain open to vehicle traffic except as described below:
    • Possibility of full closure of block 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.

Ongoing construction (Bryant to King):

  • Sewer line installation to start Oct. 8 on 4th Street between Bryant and Brannan streets.
  • Sewer manhole work on Freelon and Welsh streets at 4th Street.
  • Sewer installation on Bryant Street between 5th and Zoe streets.
  • Installation of AT&T duct bank on 4th Street between Bryant and Bluxome streets.
  • Work may involve saw-cutting and jack-hammering in the roadway and sidewalk. Expect an increase in noise.
  • Work hours will be Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Traffic and pedestrian impacts (Bryant to King):

  • Starting Oct. 8, two traffic lanes will remain open on 4th Street from Bryant to Brannan streets.
  • Parking may be impacted in the vicinity of the construction zone.
  • 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 the east side of 4th Street between Howard and Folsom streets, workers pour cement for station walls. TheYerba Buena/Moscone Station is one of four new stations due to open in 2019 that will improve transportation options.
  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 continues. 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.

On 4th Street between Folsom and Harrison streets,  replacement of a sewer line is scheduled to start Oct. 8.

Ongoing construction (Howard to Folsom):

  • Construction of station walls.
  • Replacement of water line at 4th and Folsom streets.

Traffic and pedestrian impacts (Howard to Folsom):

  • One lane of traffic will remain open on 4th Street from Howard to Folsom streets.
  • Street closure of Clementina Street at 4th Street.
  • The sidewalk along 4th Street between Clementina and Folsom streets is closed.
  • Lane reductions at intersection of Folsom and 4th streets during water line work.

Ongoing construction (Folsom to Harrison):

  • Anticipated work: replacement of a sewer line.
  • Work hours will be 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Traffic and pedestrian impacts (Folsom to Harrison):

  • Two traffic lanes will remain open on 4th Street between Folsom and Harrison streets during sewer line work.

Workers are constructing the roof deck of the Union Square/Market Street Station. This station will connect to the current Muni and Bart stations. Union Square

Stockton Street from Ellis Street to Post Street


On Stockton Street between Ellis and Post streets, the contractor is building the Union Square/Market Street Station. Stockton Street between Ellis Street and Geary Boulevard is closed to vehicular traffic.

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

Ongoing construction (Ellis to Post):

  • Pile installation to construct station walls includes overnight work on Stockton Street at Geary Boulevard and O'Farrell Street.
  • Utility relocation and pile installation on Stockton Street between Geary Boulevard and Maiden Lane.
  • Construction hours may 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.
  • The sidewalk on the northeast corner of Stockton Street at O'Farrell Street will be closed between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. through the end of October.
    • Expect traffic at this intersection to merge to one lane.
  • At Stockton Street and Geary Boulevard, expect traffic to merge to one lane.
  • Muni service impact: The bus stop on Geary Boulevard at Stockton Street will be temporarily closed until mid-November. Board bus on Geary Boulevard at Powell Street.

Ongoing construction (Ellis Street):

  • Pile installation to construct station walls.

Traffic, transit and pedestrian impacts (Ellis Street):

  • Ellis Street between Stockton and Powell streets is temporarily closed to westbound traffic.

The future Chinatown Station site at 933-949 Stockton Street will become an access point to the T Third Line. When completed, this transportation improvement will cut down on surface congestion and help reduce transportation travel time.
  Chinatown

Stockton Street from Sacramento Street to Washington Street

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

  • Construction of station walls.
  • Installation of high pressure waterline on Stockton Street between Sacramento and Clay streets.
  • Construction hours are Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
  • Rebar delivery between the hours of 4 and 6 a.m.

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

  • Parking lanes on both sides of Stockton Street at Sacramento Street may close during construction hours.
  • Washington Street:
    • Between Stockton and Trenton streets remains closed.
    • Between Powell Street and the construction zone has been converted into a two-way street.

On Columbus Avenue between Union and Filbert streets, sewer cleaning and street improvements continue. North Beach

Powell Street from Union Street to Filbert Street


At 1731-1741 Powell, ongoing removal of remaining tunnel boring machine (TBM) Mom Chung.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 will be completed by the end of 2014.

Ongoing construction (1731-1741 Powell):

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

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

  • Several parking spaces may be unavailable in front of the construction area.
  • During the evening closure, the sidewalk may be impacted along Powell Street.

Ongoing construction (Union to Filbert):

  • Sewer cleaning.

Traffic, transit and pedestrian impacts (Union to Filbert):

  • Partial lane closures on Columbus Avenue in the vicinity of the work zone.
  • Metered parking spaces may be unavailable in the work area. Parking notifications will be posted.

Connecting People. Connecting Communities.


Muni Service Impacts: The bus stop for the 38 Geary Route on Geary Boulevard at Stockton Street is temporarily closed until mid-November. Board bus on Geary Boulevard at Powell Street.

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.