Smoother Rides for Cyclists...Motorists Too...Coming to Select Streets; NOPA Blocks to Get Needed Repaving

Bike lane surface no one will miss on Baker Street from Fell

SFBC Good Roads Crew during Bayview "pothole ride"

The Department of Public Works intends to resurface* more than two dozen city blocks that will directly improve the rideability for bicyclists and benefit motorists and nearby residents as well. During Fiscal Year 2010/2011, beginning July 1, the city will improve segments of several bike routes, including the Wiggle, 14th Street, Noe between Market and Duboce, and Keith and Phelps Streets in the Bayview (see list below).

This group of streets represents the repaving that DPW undertakes with its own road crews, and the blocks are usually more residential than arterial. The city contracts out for more extensive resurfacing projects. A few of the candidate blocks for 2010/2011 were recommended by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition through its Good Roads Project. Volunteers worked with SFBC Community Planner Neal Patel to identify single blocks with poor surface conditions for this special category of DPW repaving.

NOPA cyclists and motorists who now appreciate the smoother ride on Divisadero can look forward to the much-needed resurfacing of Central Avenue between Hayes and McAllister Streets. Those three blocks are plagued by recurring sinkholes and multiple repairs. The #5 Muni line uses one of the blocks and cyclists spin down Central to enter Panhandle Park. Hopefully, DPW will complete the work on Central early in the fiscal year so the street is in top shape to handle the thousands of Sunday Streets enthusiasts visiting NOPA in mid-September. In addition, Baker Street from Fell to Hayes and from Grove to Turk Streets will be repaved. No cyclist will miss the rough, rugged bike lane between Fell and Hayes.

A partial listing of the blocks to be repaved:

• 3rd Street, between Berry & Terry Francois
• 14th Street, between Valencia and Dolores
• Baker, Fell to Hayes, Grove to Turk
• Central, Hayes to McAllister
• Keith, Palou to Wallace
• Noe, Market to Duboce
• Phelps, Kirkwood to Palou
• Scott, Haight to Page
• Steiner, Waller to Haight
• Townsend, Embarcadero to 2nd/Stanford

* As with all paving projects, work on these candidate streets is subject to funding and clearances (i.e. no conflicts and schedule coordination) with utilities. DPW sent a "Notice of Intent and Request for Information" listing of candidate streets to public and private utilities on Dec. 31, 2009.