Construction Update
August 3-12, 2013
During the next 10 days, construction to prepare for tunneling will continue in SoMa and Union Square. In North Beach, demolition of the Pagoda Palace will continue. No Central Subway construction is planned in Chinatown.
For descriptions of construction impacts in each neighborhood, scroll down or click on the links below. We also post construction, traffic detour and Muni impact information on our project Google Map.
Construction impacts are planned to change at these locations by August 12:
- Union Square: Next week, both lanes of O'Farrell Street between Stockton and Powell will remain open to vehicle traffic, with no water line work underway. Water line work is planned to recommence the week of August 12. Stockton Street between Geary and Ellis will remain closed to vehicle traffic. Ellis Street between Stockton and Powell will remain closed to westbound traffic.
- North Beach: Demolition of the Pagoda Palace is continuing in North Beach. On Monday, August 5, from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m., the contractor will move a specialized excavator onto the site to commence demolition of the building facade. Equipment mobilization will require a brief closure of Powell Street between Union and Columbus and Union Street between Columbus and Powell. During this time, parking will be impacted on both blocks. At all other times, both streets will remain open and parking will be impacted only in front of the Pagoda Palace property. For more information about demolition, check out this fact sheet and the North Beach section of this email.
At these locations, current construction impacts are planned to continue until
August 12:
- Southern SoMa (Harrison to King/Berry): No full closures of 4th Street between Harrison and Bryant are planned for this period. Two lanes of traffic will remain open at all other times. On Bryant Street at 5th Street, the left lane and several parking spaces will remain closed.
- Northern SoMa (Market to Harrison): Two lanes of traffic will remain closed on 4th Street between Howard and Folsom. On 4th Street between Market and Stevenson, the sidewalk and two traffic lanes will remain closed on the eastern side of the street.
- Chinatown: No construction planned.
We appreciate your patience and support while we build this essential upgrade to San Francisco's public transportation system.
-The Central Subway Team 
Underground on 4th Street, tunnel boring machine Mom Chung has started digging. The concrete rings shown here are among the first tunnel segments to be installed. 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 tunnel begins. After assembly of a tunnel boring machine (TBM) underground, tunneling started this summer.
Planned construction:
- Construct tunnel for southbound trains (TBM Mom Chung)
- Install and assemble TBM Big Alma
Traffic and pedestrian impacts:
- The two lanes on the east side of the street (left lanes for southbound traffic) will remain open to vehicle traffic.
- 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.
Traffic and pedestrian controls are in place. For more information on construction impacts at this site, check out this blog post.
On 4th between Market and Stevenson, crews are working to improve ground conditions in preparation for tunneling.
Northern SoMa
4th Street from Market to Harrison
On 4th Street between Howard and Folsom streets, the contractor has constructed below-ground walls, called headwalls, at the site of the future Yerba Buena/Moscone Station. Ground improvement work (jet grouting) is now in progress. For more information on construction at this site, check out this blog post.
In addition, the contractor is performing ground improvement work (installation of compensation grout tubes) on 4th Street between Market and Stevenson. More information is available in this construction notice.
Planned construction (Market to Stevenson):
- Perform ground improvements
Traffic and pedestrian impacts (Market to Stevenson):
- Two lanes on the eastern side of the street (near Ross) will be closed
- The sidewalk on the eastern side of the street may be closed. A protected pedestrian walkway will be in place around the construction zone when the sidewalk is closed.
Planned construction (Howard to Folsom):
- Install and test water line
Traffic and pedestrian impacts (Howard to Folsom):
- Two lanes of traffic will be closed on the western side of the block
- The sidewalks will not be impacted
- The crosswalk crossing 4th Street on the north side of Folsom will remain closed
Construction of underground walls continues on Stockton Street, at the site of the future Union Square/Market Street Station. Union Square
Stockton Street from Market to Post
On Stockton Street between Geary and Ellis streets, the contractor is installing below-ground walls called headwalls at the site of the future Union Square/Market Street Station. In addition, ground improvement is underway on Ellis Street between Stockton and Powell streets.
Planned construction:
Stockton between Ellis and O'Farrell:
- Perform ground improvements
Stockton between O'Farrell and Geary:
- Install headwalls
Ellis between Stockton and Powell:
- Install ground improvement pipes in Ellis Street shaft
O'Farrell between Stockton and Powell:
- No water department work next week. Work is planned to recommence Aug. 12.
All blocks:
- The contractor will continue working two shifts on weekdays, from 6 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.
- On Saturdays, work hours will be 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Traffic, transit and pedestrian impacts:
- Stockton Street between Geary and Ellis is closed to all vehicles except emergency vehicles
- Ellis Street between Stockton and the Ellis-O'Farrell Garage (between Stockton and Powell) is closed to westbound traffic
- The week of August 12, O'Farrell Street between Stockton and Powell may be narrowed to one lane between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
- The 38/38L Geary may experience delays around Union Square
- Sidewalks on Stockton Street between Ellis and Geary will remain open, but they may be narrowed to facilitate construction
More information about construction at this site is available in this construction notice and this press release. 
This property on Washington Street is the future location of the Chinatown Station. Chinatown
Stockton Street from Sacramento to Broadway
No construction is planned to occur in Chinatown during the next 10 days. 
Inside the Pagoda Palace, work to prepare for demolition has been in progress. North Beach
Powell Street from Union to Columbus
On private property at 1731-1741 Powell Street, the contractor is preparing to construct a walled excavation known as a retrieval shaft at the site where tunneling will end. The two tunnel boring machines will be removed from the ground at this location.
The first phase of construction at this site is the demolition of the Pagoda Palace. We expect this activity to take approximately one month to complete, including mobilization and site clean-up. Check out this fact sheet for more details.
Planned construction:
- Mobilize demolition equipment
- Demolish building facade
- Construction hours will be Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- On Monday, August 5, the contractor will transport a specialized excavator to the site between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.
Traffic, transit and pedestrian impacts:
- Several parking spaces will be closed in front of the property during construction hours.
- On Monday, August 5, from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m., Union Street between Columbus and Powell, and Powell Street between Union and Columbus, will be closed to allow for transportation of a specialized excavator. Parking will be impacted on both blocks. Three flaggers will assist with traffic flow in this area.
- The sidewalk in front of the property may be closed. A temporary walkway will be in place around the construction zone when the sidewalk is closed.
- Except as described above, Powell Street between Union and Columbus will remain open to traffic, but the traffic lane may be narrowed
- The Muni 39 Coit will be temporarily rerouted, but no stops will be impacted. More information is available in our fact sheet.
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.