SFMTA says construction on the Beach Street Quick-Build Project is substantially complete. The project adds a two-way separated bikeway on the north side of Beach Street between Van Ness Avenue and Columbus Avenue, near Fisherman's Wharf, Aquatic Park and the Powell-Hyde cable car turnaround.
What changed
- A two-way separated bike lane on the north side of Beach Street, Van Ness to Columbus.
- Upgraded crosswalks, advance limit lines and daylighting at corners.
- A new stop sign at Beach Street and Columbus Avenue.
- A painted safety zone at Beach and Hyde, in front of the Buena Vista Cafe, which the Voice of San Francisco says gives drivers a better view of people crossing.
- New loading zones, blue zones and parking changes.
- A realigned 19 Polk stop in front of Aquatic Park that lines up with the bus shelter.
Why Beach Street
The Voice of San Francisco reports that this stretch is on the city's high injury network: the 12% of streets where 68% of severe and fatal traffic injuries happen. SFMTA documents counted 25 reported collisions there from 2019 to 2023. Eight involved pedestrians and four involved bicyclists, and three of those caused severe injuries.
Supervisors Stephen Sherrill (District 2) and Danny Sauter (District 3) rode the new lane on Thursday, Oct. 22. "Projects like this that are taking place on a high injury network are incredibly critical to keeping people safe," Sherrill said.
Cost
The project cost $790,000. The San Francisco County Transportation Authority paid for all of it with local transportation sales tax and ride-hail (TNC) tax revenue, the Voice reported. SFMTA had also planned more bike upgrades along Van Ness Avenue.