Construction Update
June 21 - June 30, 2014
During the next 10 days, Central Subway work will continue at sites in SoMa, Union Square, Chinatown and North Beach. This section contains brief updates about what is happening in each neighborhood. For more detailed information, scroll down or click on the links below. We also post construction, traffic detour and Muni impact information on our project Google Map.
Southern SoMa (Harrison to King/Berry): Potholing for utilities will continue next week on 4th Street between Bryant and King. Hydrant relocation work to occur at 4th and Bryant. A temporary walkway is in place around the construction zones. Street sweeping on June 23rd (6am to 10am) on 4th Street from Bryant to Brannan along the west side of 4th Street and at the corner of Brannan.
Northern SoMa (Market to Harrison): At 4th and Folsom, work to build the Yerba Buena/Moscone Station continues. This includes construction of the station walls within the work site, water line replacement at the intersection of 4th and Folsom, and soil borings along 4th between Howard and Folsom.
Union Square: Stockton Street between Ellis and Geary is closed to vehicular traffic and partial closure to vehicular traffic between Geary to Post to allow for construction of the Union Square/Market Street Station. Work is underway for pile installation to construct the station walls. Construction hours will be Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Beginning May 30 to July 25, the bus stop at Geary and Stockton will be temporarily closed every Friday at 10 p.m. through the weekend. Service will resume every Monday at 4 a.m. One lane of traffic on O'Farrell Street at Stockton will start on Monday June 23rd. All travel lanes will be reopened by 4 a.m. on Wednesday, June 25th.
Chinatown: The contractor has started station wall construction within the future station site and on the adjacent section of Washington Street.
North Beach: Work will continue at 1455 Stockton and 1731-1741 Powell. Sustainable Streets is constructing bulbs on Columbus Avenue between Filbert and Union Streets, and widening the sidewalk on both sides of the street for this block. Street restoration work is expected to be completed by the 3rd Quarter of 2014. More information is available in this notice.
We appreciate your patience and support while we build this essential upgrade to San Francisco's public transportation system.
-The Central Subway Team 
At the corner of 4th Street and Bryant, workers are cutting the pavement to locate underground utilities. Here, cobblestones were found under the concrete pad.
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 tunnels begin. Underground operations are based here.
On 4th Street between Bryant and King Streets, potholing for utilities is now underway. Potholing involves drilling small holes and trenches in the street to confirm the locations of existing utility lines. More information is available in this construction notice.
Planned construction (Harrison to Bryant):
- Remove utilities and begin cleanup of southbound and northbound tunnels.
- Hydrant relocation at 4th and Bryant.
Traffic and pedestrian impacts (Harrison to Bryant):
- The two lanes on the east side of 4th Street (left lanes for southbound traffic) will remain open to vehicle traffic except as described below.
- The block may close to traffic from 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. on weeknights and all day Saturday and Sunday.
- 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.
Planned construction (Bryant to King):
- Potholing underway. Work will take place on 4th Street within construction zones marked by cones.
- Work may involve jack-hammering and cutting holes in the road. Please expect an increase in noise.
- Work hours will be Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Continued installation of AT&T duct bank on the east side of 4th Street between Welsh and Bluxome.
- On Brannan between 4th and 5th Streets, sidewalk construction to occur on the north side of the sidewalk.
- On 5th Street between Brannan and Townsend Streets, sidewalk construction to occur on the west side of the sidewalk.
- On Townsend Street between 4th and 5th Streets, sidewalk construction to occur on the south side of the sidewalk.
Traffic and pedestrian impacts (Bryant to King):
- Temporary partial lane closures will be in effect on 4th Street in the vicinity of the construction zone.
- Parking will be impacted in the vicinity of the construction zone. The contractor will post 72-hour notification as required.
- Sidewalks may be impacted. The contractor will maintain a safe path of travel at all times.
- The contractor will maintain access to all businesses during business hours.
Large cranes and other equipment fill the Yerba Buena/Moscone Station site. These cranes are used to excavate slurry walls and lower tall rebar cages.
Northern SoMa
4th Street from Market to Harrison
On 4th Street between Howard and Folsom, work to construct the Yerba Buena/Moscone Station is now in progress. The construction of underground station walls and replacement of a water main is ongoing. Soil borings will also be performed. Night work is expected from 7pm to 5am.
Planned construction (Howard to Folsom)
- Continue underground station wall construction.
- Continue replacing water line at intersection of Folsom and 4th.
- Soil borings.
Traffic and pedestrian impacts (Howard to Folsom):
- The two right lanes of 4th Street will remain closed to traffic. An additional lane will also be required when performing soil borings.
- Clementina between 4th and 5th Streets is closed to thru traffic. Please use this block for local access only.
- The sidewalk on the west side of 4th Street between Clementina and Folsom will be closed. To ensure pedestrian safety, please cross at 4th and Howard and use the sidewalk on the east side of 4th Street to access Folsom.
- Big trucks will enter and exit the 4th and Folsom site during work hours. Flaggers will be on site to facilitate truck entry and exit.
- Lanes closures will be in place along Folsom Street for the water line replacement work.
On Stockton north of Geary, a steel I-beam can be seen being lowered into a shaft which will become part of the underground walls of the future station.
Union Square
Stockton Street from Ellis to Post
On Stockton Street between Ellis and Post, contractor Tutor Perini is building the Union Square/Market Street Station. Preparatory construction is now in progress, with the roadway closed to vehicular traffic.
On Ellis Street between Stockton and Powell Streets, crews will continue to pothole for utilities and begin pile installation to construct station wall.
Planned construction (Stockton Street from Ellis to Post):
- Potholing for utilities at Ellis and Market.
- Construction hours will be Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., with weekend and evening work required at times.
- Continue pile installation to construct station walls.
- Continue obstruction removal and pile installation on the west side of Stockton between Geary and Maiden Lane.
Planned construction (Ellis Street):
- Potholing for utilities.
- Pile installation.
Traffic, transit and pedestrian impacts:
- Stockton Street between Ellis and Geary is closed to vehicular traffic.
- Stockton Street between Post and Geary is partially closed to vehicular traffic.
- Sidewalks will remain open, but they will be narrowed.
- Ellis Street between Stockton and the Ellis-O'Farrell Garage (between Stockton and Powell) will remain closed to westbound traffic.
- On O'Farrell Street between Stockton and Powell, one traffic lane will be open from 10 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Wednesday
More information about construction at this site is available in this construction notice.
"Muck" is loaded onto a waiting dump truck at the Chinatown Station site. This material is filtered out of the slurry solution used to help build the station walls.
Chinatown
Stockton Street from Sacramento to Jackson
On Stockton Street from Sacramento to Jackson, construction of Chinatown Station is now underway within the property lines and nearby on Washington Street.
Planned construction:
- Construct station walls.
- Construction hours are Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- Rebar delivery will be made between the hours of 4 a.m. to 6 a.m.
- Replace high pressure water pipeline and install new fire hydrant on Washington between Stockton and Spofford from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Night Work: Concrete will be poured for the slurry wall. Work will end before 12 a.m.
- Night Work: On Wednesday, June 25th through Friday, June 27th, the contractor will be working on the sewer within work zone from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.
- Night Work: Contractor will be installing monitoring wells on Thursday and Friday on southeast side of Washington between Stockton and Spofford. Work hours will be 4 p.m. to midnight.
Traffic, transit and pedestrian impacts:
- Washington Street between Stockton and Trenton will remain closed to vehicles and pedestrians.
- Washington Street between Powell and the construction zone has been converted into a two-way street.
- To ensure safety, please obey all traffic and pedestrian signs in the area.
- The parking lanes along Clay Street adjacent to Stockton Street may be closed during construction hours.
- Both parking lanes along Washington Street between Waverly and Stockton will be closed while fire hydrant work is being conducted.
At the former site of the Green Street ground improvement shaft, the contractor is now restoring the pavement of the parking lot.
North Beach
Powell Street from Union to Columbus
On private property at 1731-1741 Powell Street, the contractor has built a walled excavation known as a retrieval shaft. The second TBM arrived at the shaft June 11th. Both TBM’s will be removed from this site. The contractor is on schedule to complete the major work at this site in the 4th quarter of 2014. With minor restoration activities to follow, the site will be vacated early January 2015.
On private property at 1455 Stockton Street, the contractor is restoring the site. The drive through ATM at the Bank of America and sidewalk along Green Street may be closed for a few days starting Monday, June 23rd to facilitate restoration of the driveway and sidewalk.
Sustainable Streets is constructing transit bulbs on Columbus Avenue between Filbert and Union Streets, and widening the sidewalk on both sides of the street for this block. Street restoration work expected to be completed by the 3rd Quarter of 2014. More information is available in this notice.
Planned construction (1731-1741 Powell)
- Construction hours are Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. with weekend and evening work required at times. To facilitate removal of the tunnel boring machines, work to transport the oversize equipment through the night will be required on a case-by-case basis.
- Starting Monday, June 23rd, the contractor will be working in the evening from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Monday through Thursday and from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. on Fridays.
Traffic, transit and pedestrian impacts (1731-1741 Powell):
- Several parking spaces may be closed in front of the property and in the vicinity of Columbus Avenue and Union Streets.
- During the evening closure, sidewalk and parking may be impacted on either side of Powell Street.
Planned construction (1455 Stockton):
- Site and sidewalk restoration are in progress.
Traffic, transit and pedestrian impacts (1455 Stockton):
- No impacts to traffic, transit or pedestrian walkways are anticipated.
- The parking lot at 1455 Stockton will remain closed. The drive through ATM at Bank of America may be closed several days while restoration of the parking lot is completed.
Planned construction (Columbus and Union):
- Sustainable Streets is constructing transit bulbs on Columbus Avenue between Filbert and Union Streets, and widening the sidewalk on both sides of the street for this block. Street restoration work is expected to be completed by the 3rd Quarter of 2014. More information is available in this notice.
Traffic, transit and pedestrian impacts (Columbus and Union):
- Sidewalk and bus-stop closures will be in place to accommodate the above work. Signage will be posted in these areas to direct pedestrians to the nearest alternate route.
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.