6th Street Pedestrian Safety Project

 

Location

6th Street from Market to Howard

City or County Responsible for Project

City and County of San Francisco

Category

Complete Streets Projects

Description

The 6th Street corridor exhibits one of the highest concentrations of severe and fatal pedestrian collisions in San Francisco. 6th Street is classified as a High Injury Network street by the SFMTA and the San Francisco Department of Public Health. This is a key project in the City’s focus on Vision Zero – the City’s goal of reducing all traffic deaths to zero by 2024. The primary goals of the project are to Improve safety for all street users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists; and to create a safe and inviting public space for all people who live, work, or visit 6th Street.

This complete streets project underwent extensive community outreach and planning starting with a series of open house meetings in 2013, followed by ongoing engagement with the 6th Street community through 2015. From 2016 onward, the design was refined based on public input, leading to environmental approvals in 2017 and updated street designs in 2018. Additional hearings, open houses, and design refinements continued through 2019. Detailed design began in late 2018, and by 2019 the final streetscape plans were completed.

The 6th Street Pedestrian Safety Project aims to transform 6th Street into a multi-modal corridor that improves safety for pedestrians and other vulnerable users of the street. Between Market and Howard streets the improvements along 6th Street include:
• A reduction in the number of vehicle travel lanes on 6th Street (from four lanes to three lanes);
• The widening of the sidewalks on both sides of 6th Street;
• The installation of new curb bulb-outs at all intersections;
• The installation of new traffic signals at Stevenson and Natoma Streets and the striping of new crosswalks at all alleys crossing 6th Street;
• The installation of streetscape improvements such as decorative sidewalks, pedestrian lighting, and other streetscape components
• The application of new roadway striping at various locations

The project team was committed to supporting the 6th Street community and local businesses during the construction phase of this project. Available resources included marketing support, business development consulting in partnership with the Office of Workforce and Economic Development, and assistance with access and loading concerns.
For decades, Sixth Street in San Francisco has struggled with drug use and disorder, with conditions seeming to worsen in the 2010s. Crime, drug use, and unhoused individuals were prevalent throughout the 6th Street Corridor. Despite operating in an area marked by open drug use, significant unhoused individuals, and ongoing safety concerns, the construction project was successfully completed through careful planning, strong coordination with local authorities, and strict on-site safety protocols. Construction teams navigated challenging street conditions by implementing extensively detailed pedestrian/vehicular traffic control, maintaining constant situational awareness, and adapting work schedules to minimize exposure to disruptive activity.
The project celebrated a ribbon cutting in which Mayor Daniel Lurie and Public Works Director Carla Short both attended and spoke, showing the City’s commitment to this area.

The project was completed on schedule and on budget, showcasing the thoughtfulness in design phase and the execution during construction phase.