Streetscape Improvements in The Castro Include New, Improved Rainbow Design

Not to be outdone by West Hollywood, San Francisco's premier gay neighborhood has painted crosswalks on Castro Street in rainbow colors. However, it's only one part of a much bigger streetscape improvement project that involved huge community input.

1 minute read

October 2, 2014, 8:00 AM PDT

By Irvin Dawid


(Updated 10/7/2014) According to the project's website, the streetscape improvements in The Castro, including the rainbows, are "(a) project of the S.F. Planning Department in collaboration with the Municipal Transportation Agency and the Department of Public Works."

While the 'splashy' (as in "splash of color", as noted in the title of this article by the local CBS affiliate) crosswalks are capturing the most media attention, the most notable, and presumably expensive part of the project is the sidewalk widening, "up to an additional 10 feet in width for a total of up to 22 feet of sidewalk space."

(Castrostreet.org)

 Castro Sidewalks  A rendering of the expanded sidewalks on Castro Street.
"More than 4,000 people voted on the decorative design back in March," notes CBS. And here's where SF beats Santa Monica—not that there's rainbow competition.  At least three crosswalks will be rainbow colored at 18th Street and Castro Streets.

(Castrostreet.org)

Newly installed Rainbow Crosswalks at 18th and Castro streets. (Castrostreet.org)

But do check out the Santa Monica Boulevard* rainbow crosswalk, posted here. You be the judge!

(*This post was updated for an accurate location of the crosswalk: Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood.)

Wednesday, October 1, 2014 in CBS

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