Cesar Chavez Sewer & Streetscape Project

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Crews are currently working on the raised crosswalk (C. Chavez & Hampshire), new curb and gutter on C. Chavez between Hampshire and York, catch-basin and culvert, and curb ramps.  
Conceptual Plan for Cesar Chavez Sewer & Streetscape Project  

Project Information: The San Francisco Department of Public Works (DPW) and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) continue construction on a sewer and streetscape improvement project along the Cesar Chavez corridor. These improvements will be implemented through two phases of construction: Phase I "Sewer Improvements" and Phase II "Streetscape Improvements." The two phases of construction will be led by DPW and the PUC, and are coordinated between other City agencies, including the Planning Department (Planning), and San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA).

Schedule
Phase I, Sewer Improvements: Phase I construction work is part of the SFPUC’s Wastewater Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and is intended to provide area-wide improvements to the existing sewer system in the Mission District and lower Bernal Heights area in San Francisco. The construction project will increase reliability of the combined sewer system and minimize potential flooding in the area. In addition to the Phase I sewer work, low impact design (LID) features will be used to increase the ecological function of the streetscape and decrease the rate and volume of stormwater entering the combined sewer. Although LID is part of the stormwater infrastructure for the project, because it involves surface improvements, it will be a part of Phase II (streetscape), described below.

Work on Phase I began in Summer 2011. Sewer installation, replacement and rehabilitation work was completed at these locations:

• Cesar Chavez – from Hampshire Street to Guerrero Street
• Harrison Street – from Cesar Chavez Street to 26th Street
• Valencia Street – from Cesar Chavez Street to Mission Street
• Duncan Street - Valencia Street to San Jose Avenue
• 27th Street - San Jose Avenue to Guerrero Street
• Fair Avenue – from Mission Street to Coleridge Street
• Coleridge Street – from Fair Avenue to Coso Avenue
• Coso Avenue & Coleridge Street intersection

Phase II, Streetscape Improvements: Phase II construction work will ensure that a safe, gracious, inviting, and ecologically sustainable Cesar Chavez Street emerges as a focal point for one of San Francisco’s most vibrant neighborhoods. The community approved conceptual plan for Cesar Chavez is the result of a two-year community design process: which included a series of public meetings and workshops. The streetscape work will take place on Cesar Chavez between Hampshire and Guerrero streets and will align the street with the community's developed vision for the corridor. The goals are to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety, enhance greening, promote ecology function, and make the street work better for all users.  To do this, the streetscape project will widen the existing median to allow for many more street trees and landscaping, provide left turn pockets for turning vehicles, widen the sidewalk at the corners, install stormwater planters that will add green landscaping pockets and provide for stormwater management, and upgrade the street lighting along the corridor to LED, which will provide a brighter, whiter light while reducing energy consumption. LID features such as pervious paving and bioretention integrated into bulbouts will also be part of the street design. This design strategy fuses infrastructure with urban design, allowing the streetscape to become part of the solution to drainage problems while also contributing to the quality of the public realm.

Work on Phase II began in March 2013 and is estimated to last 9 months, pending weather conditions.

Cesar Chavez Sewer & Streetscape Frequently Asked Questions (English)          
Cesar Chavez Sewer & Streetscape Frenquently Asked Questions (Spanish)

For additional information, please contact DPW Public Affairs Officer Alex Murillo at (415) 437-7009.