San Francisco Public Works is improving asphalt on Potrero Avenue and traffic signals on South Van Ness Avenue in the coming months.
The removal of existing asphalt, a process called grinding, has already begun on Potrero. Both lanes were resurfaced between the freeway on-ramp and 25th Street on March 11. Work will continue block by block over the next few Saturdays – The block between 25th and 24th streets will be ground and repaved Saturday, March 18. 24th to 23rd will be repaired on March 25, and work will end after repaving of the block from 23rd to 24th street on April 1.
That schedule, however, is subject to change due to rain, equipment trouble, or other problems. Other work will take place during weekdays – specifics can be found on the Public Works page.
Meanwhile, traffic lights on South Van Ness Avenue between 14th and 20th streets are being upgraded.
The upgrade work, expected to continue until September, includes traffic routing, furnishing and installing new traffic signal poles, installing conduits, pull boxes, wiring and other fixtures. It also means adding street lighting and work on the concrete like on the curb, gutters, sidewalk and asphalt.
Phoenix Electric Company, which is contracted to perform the upgrades for San Francisco Public Work, warns in a notice of minor traffic delays and parking restrictions as well as traffic and pedestrian routing.
South Van Ness Avenue is a corridor known for crashes, and has a reputation for fast-traveling cars. A Public Works spokesperson said, however, that the city completed traffic signal timing in 2015. This phase, however, is meant to improve pedestrian safety by upgrading the hardware from 8” signal heads to 12” signal heads, installing mast arm signals and pedestrian signals, according to the spokesperson.