Excelsior Neighborhood celebrates completion of road safety improvement project
(Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco’s Excelsior neighborhood on Friday celebrated the completion of an infrastructure improvement project that included new paving and upgraded traffic signals.
Mission Street, between Geneva Avenue and the Highway 280 Overpass has been repaved, the sidewalks have been improved with bulb-outs and curb ramps, crews added bulbs for buses, and improved safety by upgrading traffic signals at multiple intersections.
"As is the case with most of our street safety and infrastructure projects, this effort packed a punch — 87 new curb ramps, 70 new traffic signals, 34 bulb-outs, 22 streetlight replacements, 17 concrete bus pads, three bus bulbs, two raised crosswalks, tens of thousands of square feet of new concrete street base, and thousands of tons of fresh asphalt," San Francisco Public Works Director Carlos Short said in a statement. "It’s the type of work that is part of our DNA and core to our mission of making San Francisco cleaner, safer and more beautiful — morning, noon, and night."
What they're saying:
The improvements were part of Mayor Daniel Lurie’s effort to make San Francisco’s streets safer and more accessible to families.
"The Excelsior is one of the most tight-knit neighborhoods in the city, and the residents use these streets in their lives every day," Lurie said in a press release. "Investments like these make our neighborhoods stronger and give residents the confidence to move through their community the way they should be able to — on foot, on a bike, on Muni, or in a car."
Dig deeper:
Mission Street and Geneva Avenue are part of San Francisco’s Vision Zero High Injury Network — the 13% of city streets where 75% of all severe and fatal collisions occur.
In the last seven years, five people have been killed and at least 323 were injured in crashes in the area the improvements were focused on.
Additionally, the eight Muni lines that serve the neighborhood have average speeds below 5 miles per hour.
"Mission Street and Geneva Avenue are essential connections for the Excelsior community, serving thousands of people every day who walk, take Muni, bike, or drive," Julie Kirchbaum, San Francisco Municipal Transit Authority Director of Transportation said in a press release. "These improvements make it easier and safer for everyone and reflect the SFMTA’s commitment to investing in neighborhoods across San Francisco that strengthen street safety, support our local businesses, and keep Muni reliable for the people who count on our services every day."
The project was funded by Proposition AA Vehicle Registration Fee dollars, Proposition K Sales Tax program, Highway User Tax Account, Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account ,2020 Health and Recovery Bond, Waste Water Enterprise Renewal and Replacement Funding, and Municipal Transportation Authority Grant Funding.