Starting May 29, 2020, the public is invited to review and provide comment on the Draft Environmental Assessment for the Better Market Street project
San Francisco Public Works and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) have completed and released a Draft Environmental Assessment (Draft EA) for the Better Market Street project that complies with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The project corridor is Market Street between Octavia Boulevard and Steuart Street.
To view the Draft EA, visit the Environmental Review page on the Better Market Street project website.
The Draft EA will be available for public review for a 45-day period that starts today. Comments may be submitted in writing and will be accepted until 5 p.m. on July 14, 2020. Information about where to send comments is also available on the Environmental Review page on the Better Market Street project website.
A virtual public hearing to receive comments on the Draft EA will be held on Wednesday, June 17, 2020, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The virtual public hearing will be conducted using Zoom and will consist of a video and audio presentation. Further details for the public hearing will be available on the Environmental Review page on the Better Market Street project website.
The Better Market Street Project proposes to make Market Street safer and more efficient for all modes of transportation by reducing conflicts among transit, paratransit, taxis, commercial vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians and other micromobility modes.
The project includes changes to and replacement of the roadway configuration, traffic signals, surface transit, bicycle facilities, commercial and passenger loading, vehicular parking and utilities along the 2.2 mile-stretch of Market Street within the project limits.
The project also will upgrade infrastructure along the corridor that is reaching the end of its design life, improve accessibility and revitalize the streetscape.
There also is a design alternative under consideration that provides additional benefits for pedestrians, transit and bicycles between the intersection where Ninth, Grove, Hayes and Market streets converge and the intersection of Gough and Market streets.
San Francisco Public Works is the project sponsor and Caltrans is the lead agency under NEPA. A Draft EA is required because the City will be using federal funds from the Federal Highway Administration to help construct the Better Market Street project. The City was awarded a BUILD (Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development) Grant in December 2019.
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) clearance occurred through a separate process with the San Francisco Planning Department as the CEQA lead agency. The Environmental Impact Report was certified by the San Francisco Planning Commission on October 10, 2019.
For more information about the Better Market Street Project or to sign up for project updates, visit the Better Market Street project website.