This weekend will mark the beginning of a painful, but very necessary, series of repairs to our Mighty N. While it will mean delays and will be incovenient to those in the construction zone, without these kinds of repairs and upgrades, the line would have bigger, more expensive repairs later. Whether you rely on the N or live in the area, it’s best to be informed so you can plan ahead.
Muni has been pretty good about telling people about what’s going to happen, and when. Rather than retype the latest news update, I’m going to reprint it verbatim. If you live in the affected area, please note the many contacts and phone numbers you can use to report a problem, and the procedures for getting access to your driveway if that’s necessary. For everyone else, note the re-routes for traffic and for bus alternative to downtown.
This is like our N having a combination wisdom teeth pulling, a root canal, and other painful dental work all at once – it sucks when it happens but when it’s done, you don’t have to worry about it again for some time. The shutdown will start at 8pm tonight, and last until 5am Monday morning.
From the SFMTA:
SFMTA Carl Street Rail Replacement Project Update
The upcoming Carl Street Rail Replacement Project’s weekend work consists of sewer replacement from Arguello Blvd. to Willard St. Work hours will be from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, February 25, 2012 and Sunday, February 26, 2012. There will be one westbound traffic lane open and eastbound traffic will be detoured around the work zone. Driveways on the south side of Carl Street from address numbers 341 to 399 will be impacted by the work zone but not permanently blocked. Driveway access for these residents and businesses will be allowed, but there will be delays until equipment and/or trucks move out of the driveway area. Affected addresses should notify a construction crewmember which we will help with access into or out of your driveway safely. Local access will be maintained.
Traffic
- Eastbound Carl Street will be closed between Arguello Boulevard and Willard Street.
- Northbound Hillway Street will be closed at Carl Street.
- Judah Street between 21st and 22nd avenues will require partial lane closures in both directions due to switch work.
- Temporary bus stops on Frederick Street (two at Cole and one at Stanyan) for the N bus shuttles will require temporary parking removal
- Construction related to the Church and Duboce project will also require the closure of Duboce Avenue between Noe and Sanchez streets. Northbound Noe Street will be closed at Duboce Avenue.
- Electronic message signs will be used in affected areas to alert traffic of detours.
- Local access will be granted and all local businesses will remain open.
- Street parking will not be available in and around the construction sites.
- Traffic control officers and police officers will direct traffic at critical intersections.
Muni Service
Service on the N Judah Metro Line will be adjusted and served by substitute bus shuttles to accommodate this weekend’s construction. A route map is attached.
- N Judah bus shuttles will operate all weekend between Ocean Beach and Church Street.
- From La Playa to Arguello the N buses will follow the regular N Line route.
- East of Arguello the N service will re-route around the construction and street closure.
- The service will run as an express between Cole and Frederick and Castro and Duboce
- N Owl bus service will be rerouted from Carl Street onto Frederick Street.
SFMTA Ambassadors will be in the area to provide information and to assist customers at transfer points.
Please visit the project webpage at www.sfmta.com/carl or contact 311 for service details and updates.
Thank you for your support and patience during this phase as we work to provide you with a safe infrastructure and environment for the neighborhood
For questions or special assistance, please e-mail the project team at CarlStRail@sfmta.com contact the Project Manager, Ha Nguyen at 415.701.4296 and/or Jeannette Sanchez, Public Relations Officer at 415.701.4790.
How about they discontinue some lightly used stops near UCSF as part of the project?
There is actually a separate project optimizing the N and other lines. I just got a copy of it – you can find one on the twitter feed for @MuniRapid that explains how they will be doing outreach and use the TEP to determine what stop consolidation might be possible, etc.
They can start by ditching either the 12th Avenue or Funston stops. No point whatsoever in having stops on consecutive blocks.
I think that’s the one thing everyone agrees on. There will be a series of neighborhood meetings coming up to discuss options, including removing some stop signs also. the TEP mandated some updates to the N and other critical lines, but as always, the devil is in the details.