Contact: Paige Miller, SFCTA
415-930-3132 cell, paige.miller@sfcta.org

On Sunday, February 28, District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen, community members, and state and local transportation agency representatives will gather to celebrate the installation of protected bike lanes along Alemany Boulevard and San Bruno Avenue at the U.S. 101/I-280 interchange. 

The Alemany Interchange Bike Lanes Project includes new crosswalk striping, protected bike lanes, green painted bike left-turn boxes, and a lane reduction on Alemany Boulevard, making it safer and easier for people to bike and walk between the Portola and Bernal neighborhoods. 

These improvements were suggested by area residents from the Portola Neighborhood Association and later planned through the Alemany Interchange Improvements Study, which was funded and led by the Transportation Authority. This celebration marks the completion of the Alemany Interchange Bike Lanes Project, which is the first phase of improvements recommended in the study. The project was delivered by the SFMTA in partnership with Caltrans and SF Public Works. Planning, design and construction for the project totaled $376,600 and was funded by San Francisco’s half-cent sales tax for transportation.  

"For more than 50 years, the Alemany/San Bruno intersection has been essentially a freeway on-ramp, a deep scar between the Portola and Bernal neighborhoods of my district," said District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen. "Today marks Phase I of reconnecting these two neighborhoods with a safe, protected bikeway, and I'm so happy to get to celebrate with Portola and SF Bike Coalition leaders who championed this project. I can't wait for Phase II work to begin later this year—at long last, a safe and beautiful multi-use path across Alemany to the Farmers Market."
 
“The Portola Neighborhood Association is ebullient to see the work of Chris Waddling, a former chair of the PNA, come to fruition in the multi-phase improvements to the Alemany maze,” said Maggie Weis, Chair of the PNA. “At long last, new protected bikeways fill in the gaps left behind in 2011, when bike lanes were installed along Alemany Boulevard, and finally serve cyclists traveling to and from Southeast San Francisco. These bike lanes, along with the soon to be completed pedestrian walkway system, are long overdue safety improvements vitally needed by the residents of Portola, Bayview and Bernal Heights who walk and bike ever since the freeways cut us off from each other.”
 
"The Alemany Maze freeway interchange has separated neighborhoods for decades, and was a harrowing journey to navigate by bicycle,” said Brian Wiedenmeier, Executive Director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. “These new protected bike lanes, as well as Phase II's multi-use path, will ensure that people biking will be able to travel to and from Bernal, Portola, and the Bayview with safety and ease. We are so grateful to Supervisor Ronen for her leadership and the staff of the Transportation Authority for their hard work to make this project a reality, and we look forward to seeing Phase II come to life next year.”
 
“The Transportation Authority celebrates the completion of the first phase of the Alemany Interchange Project with Supervisor Ronen and the D9 community,” said Tilly Chang, Executive Director of the Transportation Authority. “We congratulate Portola neighbors and the SF Bike Coalition on the results of their community-based planning efforts and thank all of our funding and implementation partners for helping to deliver safer connections for Portola and Bernal neighbors and the thousands of visitors who come to the farmers market from across the city and region.”
 
“The Alemany Interchange Project addresses huge safety concerns across some of San Francisco’s most vulnerable neighborhoods,” said Jeffrey Tumlin, SFMTA Director of Transportation. “At this intersection of safety and equity, we’re providing more protection and filling in infrastructure gaps for both bicyclists and pedestrians along the High-Injury Network—where 13% of city streets account for 75% of severe and fatal traffic related collisions.”

Phase II Improvements 

The second phase of improvements is being led by SF Public Works in partnership with SFMTA, the Transportation Authority, and Caltrans. Construction on Phase II improvements is expected to begin later this year with completion in spring 2022.  

Phase II improvements will include: 

  • A new shared use path connecting San Bruno Avenue to the Alemany Farmers Market.
  • A new signalized crossing with new curb ramps connecting the shared use path to the Alemany Farmers Market.
  • Modified signalized crossing with new curb ramps connecting the shared use path to the south of Alemany Blvd./San Bruno Ave.
  • A new stormwater collection basin to help alleviate stormwater runoff for potential future stormwater improvements to the Alemany Blvd corridor.
  • New trees adjacent to the shared path to add greening for future potential greening projects by the City or community groups.
  • An extended sidewalk/bulbout on the southwest corner of Alemany Blvd and San Bruno Ave.

Funding for Phase II of the project totals approximately $3.2 million and will be provided by a state Active Transportation Program Grant, San Francisco’s half-cent sales tax for transportation, and the San Francisco General Fund. 

More Information

Visit the SFMTA’s website to learn more about the Alemany Interchange Bike Lanes Project. 
Visit the Transportation Authority’s website to learn more about the Alemany Interchange Improvements Study. 

About the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (sfcta.org)

The San Francisco County Transportation Authority’s mission is to make travel safer, healthier, and easier for all. We plan, fund, and deliver local and regional projects to improve travel choices for residents, commuters, and visitors throughout the city. The Transportation Authority Board consists of the 11 members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, who act as Transportation Authority Board Members. Board Member Rafael Mandelman is Chair of the Board. Tilly Chang is the Transportation Authority’s Executive Director.