Potrero Streetscape Improvement Finalized

Now we just have to figure out what to do at the "hairball" at Cesar Chavez/Bayshore/Potrero Ave.

Today, from DPW,

After holding five community workshops, reviewing valuable public feedback and having the neighborhood vote for their preferred option for transforming Potrero Avenue, we would like to announce that Option 1 has emerged as the preferred design alternative. Your input helped to shape the proposed design concepts and allowed us to reach consensus on a final proposal.

Option 1 envisions a variety of improvements along the Potrero Avenue corridor from 17th Street to 25th Street, all of which meet the established project goals of improving pedestrian safety and accessibility, calming traffic, improving transit operations and reliability, and enhancing bicycle safety. From 21st to 25th streets, improvements include pedestrian refuge islands at the intersections, a continuous planted median, green painted bicycle lanes in both directions, and widening the sidewalk on the east side of Potrero from 22nd to 24th streets. Between 17th and 21st streets, improvements will include pedestrian refuge islands at the intersections, pedestrian bulb outs strategically placed at select crossings, and green painted bicycle lanes in both directions with 2’-0” painted buffers at most midblock locations. A red painted transit-only lane will be included from 18th Street to 24th Street in the southbound direction. It is anticipated that this lane will provide three minutes of time savings for buses traveling through the corridor. To accommodate all of the improvements, the proposed option would remove no more than 60 parking spaces over the mile-long length of the project. 

These improvements will transform Potrero Avenue into a safer and more attractive multi-modal corridor. The sidewalk widening will be especially beneficial for pedestrian comfort and safety, adding five feet to the existing narrow 9’-0” wide sidewalk. The bulb outs and refuge islands will shorten the crossing distances and provide more pedestrian visibility to motorists. 

The planted median will help calm traffic and green the corridor and the transit-only lane will provide time savings for all that commute by bus to and from the neighborhood.
By picking a preferred option, we now have the opportunity to work with partner agencies to develop the plan in more detail. 

Option 1 received the most community support in our outreach efforts. More than 140 residents and business owners voted during the fourth and fifth community meetings, with nearly 75% voting for an option that included sidewalk widening. 

The Potrero Streetscape Project is a part of San Francisco’s 2011 Road Repaving & Street Safety Bond. In order to deliver the most complete enhancement to the project area, DPW is working with the PUC to replace older water and sewer pipes while the streetscape is under construction. This will improve utility reliability in the neighborhood and will not only reduce the potential for failures, but also the need for additional construction for years to come. The project also includes roadway resurfacing on Potrero from Cesar Chavez to Division and the installation of ADA-compliant curb ramps. 

Managed by the San Francisco Department of Public Works, the project team includes City Planning, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. We are excited to move forward with this project, working with our community partners as we progress. 

More information on the Potrero Streetscape Improvement Project, including conceptual renderings of Option 1, as well as presentation materials from each of the community meetings, can be found at http://www.sfdpw.org/potrero. 

SFDPW Potrero Streetscape Project Manager, Cristina C. Olea: Cristina.C.Olea@sfdpw.org. 415-558-4004