Sunset Tunnel Track Work Postponed 'Til November

Sunset Tunnel Track Work Postponed 'Til NovemberPhoto: Andrew Dudley / Hoodline
Andrew Dudley
Published on September 16, 2014
Regular Hoodline readers might recall a story we ran two months ago about the Sunset Tunnel Track Improvement Project, scheduled to span 15 weekends starting this month.

Well, we have an update.

The project was originally slated to begin this weekend, with crews working to retrofit the Sunset Tunnel East Portal at Duboce Park, improve overhead wiring, and install new tracks on the route that carries the N-Judah Muni line. The work was planned to take place on weekends through May 2015. 

But in an announcement posted on its website, the SFMTA reveals that the project has been postponed until November.

"During pre-construction work, the crew discovered damages to the century-old drainage pipe underneath the tracks, which may cause potential problems. The project team is working aggressively to further investigate and resolve. If needed, the repair work will be incorporated with track replacement project."
The new tentative kickoff date is Friday, November 7th, meaning that your weekend N-Judah commute will remain unhindered for a couple more months. 

Once the project kicks off, the N-Judah rail service will be substituted with weekend bus shuttles between Church & Duboce and Ocean Beach, with buses running the regular route with the exception of the tunnel portion, which buses will skirt by taking Haight Street up and over. (Here's a map of the upcoming substitution route.)

Until then, take a moment to savor your Church & Duboce stop without swarms of people transferring between buses and rail cars.