SerpApi.Org
A bustling San Francisco tunnel is closing completely for a weekend next month before Public Works limits access through October 2027 to allow for a seismic upgrade and improvements to the interior of the tube.
The Broadway Tunnel, connecting Chinatown and North Beach with Russian Hill, is closing to traffic, pedestrians and cyclists on the morning of Saturday, Aug. 15, through early Monday, Aug. 17.
The temporary shutdown allows crews to work on the Chinatown Public Health Center Renovation Project, a more than $76 million renovation of the community clinic built atop the double-bore tunnel's eastern entrance. The tunnel's ceiling is connected to the floor of the center, which is considered one of the city's most seismically vulnerable clinics.
Following the 46-hour closure, Public Works plans to reopen the Broadway Tunnel to partial access for the next 14 months. The tunnel has two bores, and the agency is closing one at a time for seven months apiece. A lane in each direction will remain open, and traffic delays are expected during commuting hours.
The agency said that "thousands" of drivers, cyclists and pedestrians use it every day.
In 2010, Streetsblog wrote that it's "one of the scariest places in San Francisco" to ride a bike due to its tight quarters, limited lighting and roaring noise.
As part of the project, Public Works is adjusting the lighting and ceiling tiles inside the tunnel, replacing the existing lights with LED fixtures and reconstructing the roadway and pedestrian walkways.
Public Works devised a detour to skirt the tunnel, diverting traffic onto Union Street to the north or Pacific Avenue one block south. Spokesperson Rachel Gordon told SFGATE that they've begun public outreach, going door to door in the neighborhoods and holding community meetings in both English and Chinese to prepare residents.
The health center renovation syncs up with another major project in Chinatown: For the Portsmouth Square Improvement Project, Public Works is also closing Kearny Street from Clay to Washington streets for back-to-back weekends starting Saturday, Aug. 1. That means there will be three straight weekends of closures in Chinatown in August. Sign up for construction updates on the Public Works website.
Also called the Robert C. Levy Tunnel, the Broadway Tunnel debuted in December 1952. It has appeared in several movies and television shows, including "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (1978) and "The Princess Diaries" (2001).
More News
- 5 dead in attempt to save a struggling swimmer in an Ohio river
- California traveling nurse, 27, murdered while in Michigan
- Teen among dead in devastating Calif. car crash finally identified
- Albertsons infuriating shoppers over 'zombie' grocery stores
Sign up for SFGATE's breaking news email
Sign up for The Daily, SFGate's free newsletter bringing you the best of the Bay Area.Read this story on sfgate.com
