Thank you for your interest in the Sansome and Battery Connections Project! Over 50 people attended the project walking tour held on Thursday, February 21, 2019. Whether you attended the tour, have otherwise contacted the project team, or are simply reading along with this update, we appreciate the time and perspective you have brought to the project thus far!
Based on collective feedback received by the project team, the SFMTA is proposing the following changes to the project as originally introduced:
- Northbound left-turns and U-turns from The Embarcadero at Chestnut Street will be maintained with upcoming improvements
We clearly heard from many constituents that residential access to/from Chestnut Street is important, and further study is needed to better understand the circulation impacts of cruise ship berths and to better accommodate potential re-routing of visitors to the public parking garage on Kearny Street. While the Port and SFMTA will continue to explore the feasibility of restricting the northbound left-turn as part of the longer-term vision for a safer waterfront with the Embarcadero Enhancement Project, such changes will not occur in the near-term nor without additional engagement with you and others in the community. Look for an announcement/email later this spring regarding the next phase of outreach for the Embarcadero Enhancement Project!
- Traffic on Vallejo Street between Battery Street and Cowell Place will remain two-way
While the goal remains to enhance Vallejo Street as a continuous bicycle facility between Sansome and Davis streets, we heard from stakeholders that restricting westbound vehicular traffic at Battery Street requires further study. In the near-term, only minimal changes (specifically, shared lane arrows, or 'sharrows') are proposed for this narrow half block to connect with the traditional bike lanes proposed for the remainder of the corridor (which is wider). The SFMTA plans to document and evaluate conditions before and after these bike facilities are implemented to determine if additional changes may be appropriate in the future.
- Study/introduce traffic calming on Davis Street between Broadway and Jackson Street
Several attendees who live and work near Sydney Walton Square expressed their desire for improvements to the Pacific Avenue mid-block crossing in order to enhance pedestrian comfort and safety. As the project team is coordinating the striping of bike lanes in conjunction with a planned repaving project later this year, we will also explore traffic calming along Davis Street south of Broadway.
The target date to present the proposed near-term changes to the SFMTA Board of Directors (and obtain Port of San Francisco approvals) is Tuesday, April 16th at 1:00PM in Room 400, City Hall. In the meantime, the project team will continue stakeholder outreach and engagement throughout the month of March to further opportunities for feedback. If you are unable to attend the meeting, comments on the project can be sent to 1 South Van Ness Ave, 7th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103, care of the SFMTA Board of Directors, or by emailing feedback prior to April 16 to sustainable.streets@sfmta.com or mark.dreger@sfmta.com with the subject 'SFMTA Board of Directors.' Submissions are public record and will be taken to the attention of the SFMTA Board.
To stay in the loop about the project and upcoming events, please sign up for project updates at SFMTA.com/SansomeBattery.