Second Street Streetscape Improvements Project

Location

Second Street between Market Street and King Street

City or County Responsible for Project

San Francisco

Category

Complete Streets Projects

Author

Trent Tieger

Organization

San Francisco Public Works

Address

49 South Van Ness Ave, 7th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103

Phone

415-319-4637

Project Description

Second Street rests in the heart of downtown San Francisco, connecting Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, to the bustling historic Market Street and Financial District. Once a hilly stretch of land, the city excavated and graded the street in the 1860s to ease the strain on horse transportation and create a more connected community. In 2012, the City began a comprehensive public engagement process with a community-driven approach to planning and began meeting with residents, merchants, and community groups to develop a plan for a safer Second Street. With a focus on pedestrian and traffic safety, improvements were identified and implemented along the corridor including high visibility crosswalks, red zones near intersections, sidewalk bulb-outs, and improved signal timing. Advancing San Francisco’s commitment to sustainable transportation, a new one-way protected cycletrack was constructed facilitating safe and efficient north-south bicycle transit. As a major thoroughfare for pedestrian traffic, Second Street serves as a gateway for transit riders traveling to and from the new Salesforce Transit Center, a major regional transportation hub. A number of traffic safety improvements were implemented including construction of nine new transit boarding islands, improving traffic efficiency by reducing delays and vehicular conflicts. New traffic signals were installed at two previously uncontrolled intersections and upgrades were made to existing traffic signal systems to improve signal timing and allow for separated turning phases for a safer environment and reducing conflicts between pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists. With the installation of 14 new raised walkways, pedestrian travel will be safer and easier crossing intersections with improved visibility and traffic calming effects. Parking modifications were made throughout the corridor to improve visibility at intersections, provide space for the new bicycle facilities and sidewalk widening, as well as improve public transportation efficiency. Important to San Francisco’s complete streets projects, various critical infrastructure improvements were made under the surface to keep San Francisco running smoothly through the future. Sewer enhancements were implemented along the corridor replacing some of the city’s oldest sewer pipes dating back over 130 years. Additional work underground included repair to water service connections and the undergrounding of overhead utility services from Stillman to Townsend Streets. The community will find the street better and more evenly lit with new and upgraded street lighting installed along the corridor. New street trees and landscaped median islands will provide for a greener future and a plethora of new site furnishings were installed including trash receptacles, bicycle racks, and benches. Last but not least, the roadway was resurfaced from curb to curb to truly complete a new and improved Second Street.