Construction Update
August 10-19, 2013
During the next 10 days, construction to prepare for tunneling will continue in SoMa and Union Square. In North Beach, demolition of the Pagoda Palace will continue. No Central Subway construction is planned in Chinatown.
For descriptions of construction impacts in each neighborhood, scroll down or click on the links below. We also post construction, traffic detour and Muni impact information on our project Google Map.
Construction impacts are planned to change at these locations by August 19:
- Union Square: Water line work will be underway on O'Farrell Street between Stockton and Powell from Monday to Friday next week. To facilitate this work, O'Farrell Street may be narrowed to one lane from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays. Stockton Street between Geary and Ellis will remain closed to vehicle traffic. Ellis Street between Stockton and Powell will remain closed to westbound traffic.
At these locations, current construction impacts are planned to continue until
August 19:
- Southern SoMa (Harrison to King/Berry): Two lanes of traffic will remain open on 4th Street between Harrison and Bryant. On Bryant Street at 5th Street, the left lane and several parking spaces will remain closed.
- Northern SoMa (Market to Harrison): Two lanes of traffic will remain closed on 4th Street between Howard and Folsom. On 4th Street between Market and Stevenson, the sidewalk and two traffic lanes will remain closed on the eastern side of the street.
- Chinatown: No construction planned.
- North Beach: Demolition of the Pagoda Palace is continuing in North Beach. Parking will be impacted in front of the Pagoda Palace property. The sidewalk in front of the property may be closed. Powell Street between Union and Columbus will remain open to traffic, but the traffic lane may be narrowed. For more information about demolition, check out this fact sheet and the North Beach section of this email.
We appreciate your patience and support while we build this essential upgrade to San Francisco's public transportation system.
-The Central Subway Team 
Beneath 4th Street, TBM Mom Chung continues to tunnel. This worker is part of the team building the new subway tunnel, which will be used for southbound T Third Line trains. Southern SoMa
4th Street from Harrison to King/Berry
On 4th Street between Harrison and Bryant streets, the contractor has constructed a major excavation known as a launch box at the site where the Central Subway tunnel begins. After assembly of a tunnel boring machine (TBM) underground, tunneling started this summer.
Planned construction:
- Construct tunnel for southbound trains (TBM Mom Chung)
- Install conveyor and facilities for TBM Mom Chung
- Install and assemble TBM Big Alma
Traffic and pedestrian impacts:
- The two lanes on the east side of the street (left lanes for southbound traffic) will remain open to vehicle traffic.
- The sidewalk on the west side of the block will remain closed; the sidewalk on the east side of the block will remain open.
- On Bryant Street at 5th Street, the left lane and several parking spaces will be closed.
Traffic and pedestrian controls are in place. For more information on construction impacts at this site, check out this blog post.
The current phase of construction on this section of 4th Street is nearing completion, with temporary restoration expected to occur at both sites within a month.
Northern SoMa
4th Street from Market to Harrison
On 4th Street between Howard and Folsom streets, the contractor has constructed below-ground walls, called headwalls, at the site of the future Yerba Buena/Moscone Station. Ground improvement work (jet grouting) is now in progress. For more information on construction at this site, check out this blog post.
In addition, the contractor is performing ground improvement work (installation of compensation grout tubes) on 4th Street between Market and Stevenson. More information is available in this construction notice.
Planned construction (Market to Stevenson):
- Perform ground improvements
Traffic and pedestrian impacts (Market to Stevenson):
- Two lanes on the eastern side of the street (near Ross) will be closed
- The sidewalk on the eastern side of the street may be closed. A protected pedestrian walkway will be in place around the construction zone when the sidewalk is closed.
Planned construction (Howard to Folsom):
- Install and test water line
Traffic and pedestrian impacts (Howard to Folsom):
- Two lanes of traffic will be closed on the western side of the block
- The sidewalks will not be impacted
- The crosswalk crossing 4th Street on the north side of Folsom will remain closed
Construction of underground walls continues on Stockton Street, at the site of the future Union Square/Market Street Station. Union Square
Stockton Street from Market to Post
On Stockton Street between Geary and Ellis streets, the contractor is installing below-ground walls called headwalls at the site of the future Union Square/Market Street Station. In addition, ground improvement is underway on Ellis Street between Stockton and Powell streets.
Planned construction:
Stockton between Ellis and O'Farrell:
- Perform ground improvements
Stockton between O'Farrell and Geary:
- Install headwalls
Ellis between Stockton and Powell:
- Install ground improvement pipes in Ellis Street shaft
O'Farrell between Stockton and Powell:
- Restore sidewalk and roadway
- Construction hours on this block are Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
All blocks:
- The contractor will continue working two shifts on weekdays, from 6 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.
- On Saturdays, work hours will be 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Traffic, transit and pedestrian impacts:
- Stockton Street between Geary and Ellis is closed to all vehicles except emergency vehicles
- Ellis Street between Stockton and the Ellis-O'Farrell Garage (between Stockton and Powell) is closed to westbound traffic
- O'Farrell Street between Stockton and Powell may be narrowed to one lane between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays
- The 38/38L Geary may experience delays around Union Square
- Sidewalks on Stockton Street between Ellis and Geary will remain open, but they may be narrowed to facilitate construction
More information about construction at this site is available in this construction notice and this press release. 
This property on Washington Street is the future location of the Chinatown Station. Chinatown
Stockton Street from Sacramento to Broadway
No construction is planned to occur in Chinatown during the next 10 days. 
Demolition of the Pagoda Palace continued this week as crews dismantled the walls by hand from inside the building. North Beach
Powell Street from Union to Columbus
On private property at 1731-1741 Powell Street, the contractor is preparing to construct a walled excavation known as a retrieval shaft at the site where tunneling will end. The two tunnel boring machines will be removed from the ground at this location.
The first phase of construction at this site is the demolition of the Pagoda Palace. Check out this fact sheet for more details.
This week the contractor installed scaffolding on the northern side of the building to provide additional safety protections during demolition.
Planned construction:
- Demolish building
- Construction hours are Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Traffic, transit and pedestrian impacts:
- Several parking spaces will be closed in front of the property during construction hours.
- The sidewalk in front of the property may be closed. A temporary walkway will be in place around the construction zone when the sidewalk is closed.
- Powell Street between Union and Columbus will remain open to traffic, but the traffic lane may be narrowed.
- The Muni 39 Coit will be temporarily rerouted, but no stops will be impacted. More information is available in our fact sheet.
Central Subway Construction Fast Facts
Project Alignment: 4th Street between Berry and Market streets; Stockton Street between Market Street and Columbus Avenue; Powell Street between Union Street and Columbus Avenue; Columbus Avenue between Powell and Filbert streets.
Transit Reroutes: The southbound 8X/8AX/8BX Bayshore Express, 30 Stockton, 45 Union/Stockton and 91 Owl Muni bus routes have been rerouted to accommodate construction in Union Square and SoMa. These reroutes will remain in effect throughout the duration of Central Subway construction. More information is available online here.
Contact Us: Should you have questions about construction or the Central Subway Project, don't hesitate to contact our team. 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.