Phase Two of the Muni Metro Escalator Rehabilitation Project reached the substantial completion milestone on Oct. 9, 2019. The Van Ness inbound platform escalator, the last unit in line for rehab, has resumed service to Muni customers after months of construction.
Phase Two of the project that started in November 2015 has rehabbed 17 escalators at Montgomery, Powell, Hallidie Plaza, Civic Center, Van Ness, Church and Castro. The new escalators equipped with state of the art technology that will greatly improve safety and reliability of Muni system, especially for seniors and those who have special need.
Coming up next is the final closeout work mainly involving the installation of stainless-steel gates for each of the 17 units. This work will take approximately two months.
Most of the escalators currently serving Muni subway stations have been on the job since 1973. They are old, outdated and easy to break down. The new escalators equipped with the state of art technology will greatly improve safety and reliability of Muni system, especially for seniors, people in wheelchairs and those who have special need.
Features of the new escalators:
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Energy saving Variable Frequency Regenerative Drives, also called green belts
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Sleep mode, to slow the escalator down when experiencing a decrease of usage, saving energy and reducing wear on the equipment.
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Improved lighting along the escalator for the steps to be more visible at night.
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Several safety switches and circuits, such as missing step device, hand rail speed sensor, comb impact device, etc., will be added to enhance the safety of the units.
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Permanent lockable stainless steel barricades will enhance customer and technician safety during times of maintenance and repair.
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Debris traps, to comb debris off the steps and prevent damage that can compromise the safety of the equipment.
The rehabilitation project has two phases. Phase One that replaced five escalators at Church, Powell and Van Ness Station was completed in 2014 and Phase Two began in November 2015. The project is to rehabilitate 17 escalators at Montgomery, Powell, Hallidie Plaza, Civic Center, Van Ness, Church and Castro.
Current Escalator Work:
Both the outbound Church and Van Ness escalators are currently under construction. The outbound Van Ness and inbound Montgomery escalator has returned to service on March 11, 2019 and March 21, 2019 respectively.
To maintain service, only one escalator per station and two escalators total will be taken out of service (two different stations with one escalator each being replaced). Each escalator will be out of service for approximately five months. The work takes this long because each escalator is custom-designed and custom-built.
The staging area adjacent to the job site will be clearly marked and safely barricaded. The wooden barricade built over the escalator is to ensure the safety for Muni customers as well as construction workers.