Background

The Transportation Authority and the Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) have launched the 19 th Avenue/Park Presidio Transportation Plan. This effort will serve to coordinate several concurrent projects by multiple agencies, all funded in part by the Transportation Authority. As the lead local funding agency, the Authority is acting as the project coordinator.

Project Overview

The Transportation Authority and the Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) have launched the 19 th Avenue/Park Presidio Transportation Plan. This effort will serve to coordinate several concurrent projects by multiple agencies, all funded in part by the Transportation Authority. As the lead local funding agency, the Authority is acting as the project coordinator. The constituent projects include:

• Caltrans Phase I Traffic Signal Upgrade

• Caltrans Phase II Traffic Signal Upgrade

• Caltrans Phase III Traffic Signal Upgrade
• MTA Transit Priority Streets Project
• MTA Pedestrian Safety Project
• Department of Public Works, Landscape Improvement Project
• Caltrans 19th Avenue Repaving

The scope and schedule for each of the above listed projects is provided in greater detail below.

Problem Definition and Background

19th Avenue and Park Presidio Boulevard (Highway 1) is a State Highway owned and operated by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) as a six-lane highway serving both regional and local traffic.

19th Avenue and Park Presidio Boulevard Statistics:

San Francisco agencies are partnering with Caltrans to plan, design and construct numerous improvements for pedestrian safety and transit operations. In order to account for the proposed deviations from existing State Highway design standards, Caltrans requires that a pilot study comprised of several high collision locations be constructed and studies prior to implementation of new features throughout the entire corridor. Assuming success in improving pedestrian safety, and traffic performance acceptable to Caltrans, the pedestrian safety and transit performance measures will be installed throughout the corridor from north to south.

The estimated timeline for pedestrian safety and transit improvement projects is included below.

Project Benefits

Project benefits will include:

• Signal upgrades
• Improved traffic signal visibility to motorists
• Pedestrian safety improvements
  
• Installation of pedestrian count-down timers

• Short-term transit access improvements

Project Area

The project area includes 19 th Avenue and Park Presidio Boulevard . The northern project boundary is at Lake Street , continuing south along Park Presidio to Fulton Street , Crossover Drive , and following 19 th Avenue from Lincoln Way to Junipero Serra Boulevard.

Individual Project Descriptions

Caltrans Phase I Signal Upgrade

Construction includes:

• New traffic signals that will be more visible to motorists and provide for smoother traffic flow and greater safety

• Pedestrian signals with countdown timers, telling pedestrians how much time they have to safely cross the street
• New curb ramps directing pedestrians to the crosswalks

Specific intersections to be upgraded as a part of Phase I include:

• Crossover Drive/Lincoln Way
• Irving Street
• Judah Street
• Noriega Street
• Quintara Street
• Taraval Street
• Vicente Street
• Eucalyptus Drive
• Holloway Avenue
• Junipero Serra Boulevard

Caltrans Phase II Signal Upgrade Design

Construction includes:

• New traffic signals that will be more visible to motorists and provide for smoother traffic flow and greater safety
• Pedestrian signals with countdown timers, telling pedestrians how much time they have to safely cross the street
• New curb ramps directing pedestrians to the crosswalks

Specific intersection to be upgraded as a part of Phase II include:

• California Street
• Clement Street
• Geary Boulevard
• Anza Street
• Balboa Street
• Cabrillo Street
• Fulton Street
• Martin Luther King Drive
• Kirkham Street
• Lawton Street
• Ortega Street
• Pacheco Street
• Rivera Street
• Santiago Street
• Ulloa Street
• Stonestown Drive
• Ocean Boulevard
• Winston Drive
• Crespi Drive

Caltrans Phase III Signal Upgrade Design

Construction includes:

• New traffic signals that will be more visible to motorists and provide for smoother traffic flow and greater safety
• Pedestrian signals with countdown timers, telling pedestrians how much time they have to safely cross the street
• New curb ramps directing pedestrians to the crosswalks

1. Park Presidio and Lake Street
2. Park Presidio and Crossover Drive (in GGPark)
3. 19 th Avenue and Moraga Street
4. 19th Avenue and Wawona Street
   
5. 19 th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard

The schedule for Phase III is not currently defined.

MTA Transit Priority Streets Project

The MTA Transit Priority Streets Project will include:

• Identification of causes of bus delay and performance
• Improvements to pedestrian access to bus stops
• Improvements to transit rider information, including real-time information that will tell transit riders when the next bus is coming.
• Signal priority for buses at traffic signals, allowing the bus to spend less time stopped at red lights enabling fastertrips and more reliable overall service.

MTA Pedestrian Safety Project

Project design for the pedestrian safety and transit access improvements will focus on specific physical improvements to address safety issues identified by the public and through technical analysis. The criteria for location of pedestrian safety improvements include:

• location of pedestrian collisions
• large number of bus boardings
• need for traffic calming identified by neighborhood residents or city staff
• other conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians (e.g. parking on sidewalks)

Current pedestrian safety projects in the planning phase include:

• Corner bulbouts at bus stop locations, designed to:
• reduce the distance that pedestrians are required to walk in order to cross the street
• increase visibility of pedestrians at the corner
• increase pedestrian's ability to see approaching motorists

Mayor's Office of Greening/Department of Public Work Landscape Improvements

The Mayor's Office of Greening is developing strategies for introducing landscape improvements at key commercial intersections along 19th Avenue.  The conceptual plan calls for tree planting at major intersections as well as at mid-block locations.  The Office is working with MTA, the Authority and Caltrans to develop a design strategy that is integrated with proposed pedestrian and transit improvements. 

Caltrans Street Repaving

Caltrans District 4 submitted a funding request for street repaving/overlay for Fiscal 2006/07.  The funding request was not granted.  Caltrans District 4 will continue to seek funds for repaving of 19th Avenue and Park Presidio Boulevard.

Partner Agencies

• SanFrancisco County Transportation Authority
• San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
  
• Muni
  
• Department of Parking and Traffic
  
• California Department of Transportation
• San Francisco Department of Public Works 

Project Contacts

Steven Nguyen, SFCTA Senior Project Engineer

Project Implementation Schedule

 Phase I Signal Upgrade - As of February 2007, Caltrans is currently working to issue the Phase I Signal Upgrade project for construction bid.  The construction contract will be awarded Summer 2007 and construction could begin as soon as Fall 2007.

Round 1 Community Meetings: June 2006

The first set of community meetings for the 19th Avenue/Park Presidio Transportation Plan were conducted June 28th and June 29th. 

Materials presented at the meetings are available at the links below (All files available in Adobe Acrobat PDF):

1. Caltrans Signal Upgrade Project Summary

2. MTA Transit Preferential Streets Summary

3. MTA Pedestrian Safety Project Summary

4. Mayor's Office/Department of Public Works Greening Summary

5. Schedule

6. Community Outreach Powerpoint (June 28 & 29, 2006)

Round 1 Community Meeting Documentation

A summary of community comments and recommendations can be downloaded here.

Three files are available:

1. Narrative Summary of Comments from June 28 and 29 Meetings (pdf)

2. Wall Graphic from June 28 Meeting, Richmond Police Station (jpg)

3. Wall Graphic from June 29 Meeting, Sunset Community Center (jpg)

The comments will be review and screened into the following categories:

a) short-term recommendations that do not require design exceptions and that can be implemented as a part of the Caltrans Signal Upgrade

b) short-term recommendations requiring design exceptions

c) mid- to long-term recommendations requiring more complex planning, design and permitting

The next step will be for the sponsoring agencies to prepare conceptual designs incoporating additional pedestrian, bicycle, and transit improvement measures.  These conceptual designs will form the basis of discussion at the Round 2 Community Meetings.

Round 2 Community Meetings

Community workshops were held on July 31, 2007, and August 2, 2007, to present and solicit feedback on conceptual designs for six prototypical intersections. Materials from the meetings are available at the links below (All files available in Adobe Acrobat PDF):

1.  Study Update and Conceptual Designs Presentation (pdf)   

Final Report

The Authority Board approved the final report at its May 20, 2008 meeting.  Click here for the report (pdf).

For more information, contact Chester Fung at or (415) 522-4804.