The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which oversees all transportation in the city, including the Municipal Railway (Muni), will start construction to replace tracks and other infrastructure inside Sunset Tunnel this weekend. The Sunset Tunnel Trackway Improvement Project will upgrade the N Judah Metro Line making it safer and more reliable.
Upgrades will include:
- Track and infrastructure replacements (between Cole Valley and Duboce Triangle)
- Transit Signal Priority (TSP) upgrades at nine intersections along the N Judah Line
- This new technology will reduce wait time at traffic signals for Muni vehicles by holding green lights longer.
- Construction of two Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant platforms at Judah Street and 28th Avenue
The tunnel construction is scheduled for 15 weekends between November 2014 and June 2015. Construction will commence Nov. 7-10, and continue the weekends of Nov. 14 and Nov. 21. After that, tunnel construction will take a holiday reprieve and resume in early 2015.
During construction weekends, N Judah rail service will be substituted with bus shuttles between Church & Duboce and Ocean Beach. Bus substitution will start at approximately 7 p.m. on Friday and will operate during all regular service hours until approximately 2 a.m. Monday morning.
The weekend N Judah Owl bus service will not be affected. The bus shuttles will follow the N Judah making regular stops except for the tunnel portion where buses will operate on Haight Street.
Regular N rail service will continue to provide service between the 4th and King Caltrain and Church & Duboce. The N Judah stops at Church & Duboce will provide a transfer point between bus shuttles and trains for Muni customers.
The SFMTA has integrated multiple construction components under the Sunset Tunnel project in order to minimize the inconvenience for both N Judah riders and the community around the construction area.
The TSP system upgrades are taking place at nine sequential intersections along the N Judah Line. The TSP work will involve cutting sidewalk trenches and installing conduits along the following intersections:
- Carl Street (from Cole Street to Arguello Boulevard)
- Irving Street (from 3rd Avenue to 9th Avenue)
- 9th Avenue (from Irving Street to Judah Street)
- Judah Street (from 16th Avenue to 19th Avenue)
- Judah Street (from 35th Avenue to Sunset Boulevard)
Construction of the two new ADA platforms at 28th Avenue will begin the week of November 10th.
At present, there are 17 blocks (between 19th Avenue and Sunset Boulevard) without ADA accessibility. The new platforms will include longer boarding islands and ADA compliant curb ramps, making Muni Metro safer and easier to use for all customers.