Bay Area/ San Francisco
Published on October 15, 2020
Construction begins next month on two-year 19th Avenue overhaulPhoto via SFDPW

Construction will break ground next month on the first segment of San Francisco Public Works' 27-month, multiagency reconstruction of 19th Avenue in the Sunset. And you can bet it's going to make for more traffic over the next two years.

The main north-south connecting corridor between the city's western neighborhoods and the 101 and 280 freeways north and south, 19th Avenue is the Sunset's most heavily trafficked arterial for cars, and carries up to 20,000 people daily on its bus lines.

Ultimately, these improvements will additionally benefit the 28-19th Avenue Rapid Transit Project, which already changed locations of the 28-19th Avenue bus lines earlier this month for speedier service.

Estimated to be completed early in 2023, the scope of the bigger reconstruction project will include replacing water and sewer lines, adding new curbs and bulb-outs, pedestrian safety measures, new bus pads, traffic signal work, and resurfacing.

Work on water lines will affect local residents, and will mostly be conducted overnight to reduce impact on the neighborhood's water supply.

Public Works spokesperson Alex Murillo said in an email that the first segment of work would span from Lincoln Way to Moraga Street before moving farther south. That phase of the work is expected to last 13 and a half months, per DPW. Once Public Works' portions of the job are complete, resurfacing will be done by Caltrans, a statewide agency, because 19th Avenue is also California Highway 1.

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