The Bay Area Reporter's Matthew Bajko reported back from the Castro Merchants meeting yesterday that due to manufacturer delays in some parts needed to complete the streetscape improvement project by the Castro Street Fair, the project completion date will be delayed until mid-October.

Not to worry, however, the bulk of the project including the sidewalks, the street repaving, the rainbow crosswalks, the tree planting, and the historical etchings in the sidewalks will be completed by the street fair, but the street lights and poles for the Muni overhead wires will come after the project. The steel support structures for the poles, which were supposed to be delivered August 30th won't come till late September.

The Ghilotti Brothers, the crew working on the project, will also be starting improvements to Jane Warner Plaza post-Castro Street Fair. Nick Perry, Department of Public Works project manager during the community planning phase, listed improvements to the plaza that are slated to include:

• expanded sidewalk area to shorten crossings along Market Street
• reconfigured pedestrian crossings within plaza
• expanded sidewalk adjacent to existing planters near Market Street
• new colored asphalt paving for the entire plaza
• ADA compliant warning pavers at key spots near F-Line tracks

An additional improvement will be replacing the temporary police barriers at the east end of the plaza with a new decorative metal gate that matches the art deco design of the Castro Theatre marquee: