Van Ness Bus Rapid Transit

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Van Ness Bus Rapid Transit
Red lanes north of Golden Gate Avenue, December 2020.jpg
Red lanes north of Golden Gate Avenue in December 2020
Overview
StatusUnder construction, testing underway
OwnerSan Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
LocaleSan Francisco, California, United States
Stations9
Websitesfmta.com/projects-planning/projects/van-ness-improvement-project
Service
TypeBus rapid transit
SystemSan Francisco Municipal Railway
ServicesMuni: 30, 47, 49, 76X, 79X, 90
Golden Gate Transit: 101, 130, 150
History
Planned openingApril 2022
Technical
Line length2 mi (3.2 km)
ElectrificationOverhead lines, 600 V DC
Route diagram

Legend
47, 49, GGT
 Union
Vallejo
Jackson
Sacramento
BSicon CCAR.svgCalifornia St line
 Sutter
Geary/O'Farrell
Geary BRT
 Eddy
GGT
 McAllister (City Hall)
Van Ness station (Market St)
BSicon LOGO SFmuni.svg
47, 49
This diagram:
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The Van Ness Bus Rapid Transit project in San Francisco is designed to bring bus lanes to the Van Ness Avenue thoroughfare from Mission Street to Union.[1] Dedicated bus lanes, which will be used by the 49 Van Ness–Mission trolleybus route and Golden Gate Transit routes, are to be constructed along the road's median, with 6-inch-tall (152 mm) side platforms at stations for boarding and alighting passengers away from the curb.[2] The project also involves underground water and sewer replacement as well as landscaping along the corridor. The project is estimated to cost more than $300 million and is scheduled to open by April 2022 after numerous delays.[3]

History[]

Temporary bus stop used during construction

Streetcar service began on Van Ness Avenue in 1914 with the D Geary–Van Ness, F Stockton, and H Potrero routes, built to serve the Panama–Pacific International Exposition. Several other routes also ran on Van Ness for short periods: I Exposition in 1915, J Exposition in 1915–16, J Church in 1917–18, and K Ingleside in 1918. D and H service were discontinued in 1950; F service (which only used Van Ness between North Point and Chestnut) was discontinued in 1951.[4] The old overhead line poles were deemed too deteriorated to be retrofitted for modern use.[5]

Muni had planned a transit corridor improvement project on Van Ness since 1989 as part of the Proposition B sales tax expenditure plan.[6] The transit expansion part of the expenditure plan formed the basis of the 1995 Four Corridor Plan by the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA), which planned for rail expansions along four priority corridors including Van Ness.[7] The corridors included the Bayshore Corridor which became the T Third Street Muni extension, and a proposed rail line along Geary Boulevard which ultimately became the Geary Bus Rapid Transit project. The third corridor to North Beach was implemented as the Central Subway project. The Van Ness corridor was to be the last of the four corridors, beyond the twenty year planning timeline of Proposition B.

In 2003, with Proposition B expiring in 2010, Proposition K was passed to provide additional sales tax funds. Its specified expenditure plan included bus rapid transit on the two corridors.[8] The SFCTA began to formally plan the project in 2004 after the passage of Proposition K, with a completion date then planned for 2012.[9] A feasibility study was completed in 2006, followed by the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (DEIS) in 2011.[10] The DEIS identified three possible designs: curb lanes, median lanes with side platforms, and median lanes with center platforms.[10]

The Final Environmental Impact Statement was released in July 2013, and approved by the SFCTA and SFMTA that September.[11] Its locally preferred alternative (LPA) design included median lanes with side platforms; changes from the DEIS included several platform locations and elimination of most left turn on Van Ness.[10] Both agencies also approved the addition of an optional southbound platform at Vallejo Street (the northbound platform was already added in the LPA).[11] The Federal Transit Administration approved the FEIS in December 2013. Addenda regarding parking loss and street tree removal were published in 2014 and 2016.[11]

The project ultimately broke ground in 2017, with completion then planned for 2019.[12] Issues encountered during construction delayed the completion date further to 2020, then again to late 2021.[13][14][15] Further delays in 2020 brought the estimated completion to 2022.[16]

Testing of the project infrastructure with Muni and Golden Gate Transit vehicles commenced on January 12, 2022.[17][18]

Controversy[]

Some people who drive automobiles near the corridor have complained about possible changes in automobile traffic patterns and loss of automobile parking along the corridor.[1] Concerns that trees would be removed were met with plans to plant more trees on the route.[5] Residents supportive of the project have complained about continued delays in completing the project, and that the project is taking longer to complete than other similar projects in other cities because the SFMTA did not close the street to automobile traffic during construction.[19]

The use of 6 in (150 mm) low platforms with 12 in (300 mm) floor buses (rather than level boarding) has been criticized as bus rapid transit creep.[2]

In April 2020, SFMTA suspended the 47 Van Ness bus route due to the coronavirus pandemic,[20] leaving only one daily route, the 49 Van Ness-Mission.

References[]

  1. ^ a b Tyler, Carolyn (November 19, 2014). "Concerns raised over BRT lanes on San Francisco's Van Ness Avenue". ABC7 News. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  2. ^ a b Cabanatuan, Michael (July 15, 2014). "Muni opposition hinders bus rapid transit". San Francisco Gate. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  3. ^ Schneider, Benjamin (December 22, 2021). "2022 will be a big year for Muni: Central Subway and Van Ness bus route are coming". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  4. ^ Stindt, Fred A. (1990). San Francisco's century of street cars. Kelseyville, Calif. pp. 180–189. ISBN 0-9615465-1-4. OCLC 22763360.
  5. ^ a b Rodriguez, Joe Fitzgerald (January 15, 2016). "Trees, historic trolley poles to be removed for bus project". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  6. ^ "San Francisco Voter Information Pamphlet" (PDF). November 7, 1989. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  7. ^ San Francisco County Transportation Authority (June 1995). "Four Corridor Plan". Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  8. ^ "San Francisco Voter Information Pamphlet" (PDF). November 4, 2003. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  9. ^ Bialick, Aaron (December 2, 2011). "What's the Hold Up for Van Ness BRT?". Streetsblog SF. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  10. ^ a b c "Chapter 2: Project Alternatives" (PDF). Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report: Van Ness Avenue Bus Rapid Transit Project. San Francisco County Transportation Authority. July 2013. pp. 1–3.
  11. ^ a b c "Calendar Item No 10.3" (PDF). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. February 10, 2020. p. 5.
  12. ^ Chinn, Jerold (March 2, 2017). "Work begins on Van Ness transit corridor". SF Bay. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  13. ^ Rodriguez, Joe Fitzgerald (October 16, 2017). "Two-mile-long Van Ness bus lane project faces two-year delay". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  14. ^ Rodriguez, Joe Fitzgerald (April 23, 2018). "Van Ness Bus Rapid Transit construction delayed another 5 months". San Francisco Examiner.
  15. ^ Matier, Phil (January 16, 2019). "SF's Van Ness project nearly 2 years behind schedule, millions in cost overruns". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  16. ^ Graf, Carly (December 3, 2020). "SFMTA board scrutinizes Van Ness BRT spending". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  17. ^ SFMTA [@sfmta_muni] (January 12, 2022). "Today, along with @GoldenGateBus , we began joint testing of #VanNessBRT. We're making sure that signals work as well as addressing turn and passing clearances with vehicles traveling in the opposite direction" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  18. ^ Rogozen, Nehama (January 25, 2022). "Bus Testing on the New Van Ness BRT Corridor a Success" (Press release). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
  19. ^ Swan, Rachel (August 18, 2019). "City says it's back on track with long-delayed Van Ness transit project". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  20. ^ "47 Van Ness (Suspended)". December 18, 2021.

External links[]

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