Neighborhoods Affected
Throughout most of 2017, the project team worked collaboratively with the Union Square Business Improvement District (BID), Powell Street hotels and businesses, other stakeholders, and the larger public to develop the conceptual design for the Powell Streetscape Project. While the project is only scheduled to begin construction in early 2021, we are ready to legislate the changes at the SFMTA Board of Directors in early 2019 so we can begin detailed design and engineering work.
As detailed in the supporting documents on the project website, the project will re-design Powell Street between Geary and Ellis with a pedestrian-oriented design. The existing aluminum parklets will be replaced with wider sidewalks and flexible load zones, while a variety of streetscape elements will create a signature street for the Union Square area. Improvements for the 38-Geary and cable car lines and upgrades to traffic signals will keep people moving and improve safety. The project fact sheet details the changes.
Changes to traffic, loading, and transit stops are necessary to support the streetscape re-design, including modifying load zones on Powell and O’Farrell streets, moving the Powell & O’Farrell 38-Geary bus stop to the far-side of the intersection with a new bus bulb, and restricting southbound traffic to Muni only between O’Farrell and Ellis streets. We will be taking these changes to Public Hearing on Friday, November 16th at 10am (City Hall, Room 416). If you are unable to attend this public hearing, please email your comments to Mark Dreger at Mark.Dreger@sfmta.com for submittal to the hearing officer.
We will be working directly with hotels, businesses, and property owners on Powell Street in the coming year to discuss design details and construction-related considerations.
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