Press release published by City and County of San Francisco. View original press release here. 

Builds on Work to Improve Conditions on Sixth Street; Creates a Safer, More Accessible Neighborhood for Families, Workers, Business Owners

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today cut the ribbon on the Sixth Street Pedestrian Safety Project, a multi-year streetscape and sidewalk project that will improve the safety of the street and build on progress to improve conditions on Sixth Street. The project completed in partnership with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), San Francisco Public Works, and San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) will ensure a safer, more accessible Sixth Street for families, visitors, and business owners.

Since day one of his administration, Mayor Lurie has worked to deliver safer, cleaner streets in SoMa and all San Francisco communities. Earlier this month, the mayor signed an agreement with Caltrans to keep San Francisco’s streets clean and safe and address encampments, litter, debris, and weeds in SoMa and other neighborhoods. As part of his Breaking the Cycle plan to combat the behavioral health and homelessness crisis, Mayor Lurie integrated the city’s street outreach teams and stood up recovery and treatment beds with San Francisco’s encampment numbers reaching their lowest levels on record, down by a quarter since March 2025.

“When I was elected, Sixth Street captured so much that was wrong with San Francisco, and we got to work right away addressing those challenges,” said Mayor Lurie. “The behavioral health crisis on our streets is a public safety issue. We can’t tackle one without tackling the other—and when we make progress on one, we make progress on both. Every community in San Francisco deserves safe, clean, and livable streets. Today we are closer to that goal, and we’ll keep building on it together.”

The Sixth Street safety project makes the street safer and more accessible for pedestrians and drivers with wider sidewalks, new pedestrian lighting and crosswalks, and traffic signals.

“We’re proud to be a part of the city’s efforts to revitalize Sixth Street,” said SFMTA Director of Transportation Julie Kirschbaum. “These improvements can make a real difference to protect people who rely on safe travel throughout the corridor. We thank Mayor Lurie, Supervisor Dorsey, and our project partners at Public Works and the SFCTA for this holistic approach to create a safer Sixth Street.”

“As stewards of the public right of way, we always are eager to find ways to make San Francisco’s streets and sidewalks safer for all who use them. And this project aims to do just that by creating an improved and inviting streetscape that helps protect anyone who travels along this busy corridor,” said San Francisco Public Works Director Carla Short. “We are grateful for the support from Mayor Lurie, Supervisor Dorsey, and our partners at the SFMTA and County Transportation Authority. This project is a strong example of how we can achieve positive change when we come together as one to improve the communities we serve.”

Before the start of the project, Sixth Street had among the highest concentrations of severe and fatal pedestrian collisions in San Francisco—someone was hit while walking or biking every 16 days. Collisions have been most concentrated between Market and Howard Streets, with half of them involving a pedestrian. This corridor is part of the city’s High Injury Network—the 12% of city streets identified by the Department of Public Health that account for 68% of severe and fatal traffic incidents.

“Pedestrians in SoMa, especially families and seniors, often face dangerous conditions on our roads, and this project delivers long-overdue improvements,” said District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey. “The combination of safety and accessibility improvements and placemaking is a huge boost to this area.”

“The Transportation Authority is proud to help deliver the 6th Street Pedestrian Safety project with $6 million in sales tax funds, creating a safer, more welcoming corridor for the SoMA community,” said San Francisco County Transportation Authority Chair and District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar. “We are pleased to have supported the collaborative planning and construction phases of this impactful project.”

“The number one priority in our neighborhoods in San Francisco is safety and cleanliness,” said Rudy Corpuz, United Playaz Executive Director. “It takes a hood to save a hood.”

Construction on the Sixth Street Pedestrian Safety Project began in 2022 and includes the following safety and streetscape enhancements:

  • Sidewalk widening including 15-foot sidewalks on both sides of Sixth Street from Market Street to Howard Street
  • New alley traffic signals on Stevenson Street and Natoma Street including accessible pedestrian signals adding to existing signals at Minna Street and Jessie Street
  • New high-visibility crosswalks at Stevenson, Minna, and Natoma
  • New pedestrian lighting from Market Street to Folsom Street and on Stevenson Alley west of Sixth Street
  • Corner bulb-outs to reduce crossing distances, reduce speeds of turning vehicles and increase sidewalk space
  • Streetscape improvements include roadway and sidewalk paving, updated landscaping and lighting, and trash cans

This project, in addition to the Better Market Street and Safer Taylor projects, is the last of three critical safety initiatives in the area. Following the completion of the Safer Taylor Quick Build project, severe speeding decreased after installation, and vehicles traveling over 30 mph decreased by 31%, while vehicles traveling over 40 mph decreased by 94%.

The Sixth Street Pedestrian Project was approved by the SFMTA Board of Directors in 2018. SFMTA conducted extensive outreach in partnership with SoMa Filipinas, South of Market Community Action Network, the Compton’s Transgender Cultural District, and Central City SRO Collaborative to solicit input from neighborhood businesses and residents.