$604 Million Makeover Coming to San Francisco's Market Street

"San Francisco’s Market Street is getting a major overhaul to turn it into a more people- and transit-centric thoroughfare," reports Josh Cohen. Here's more detail on the ambitious project:

The estimated $604 million project will bring protected bike lanes and streetscape improvements. Private vehicles will be banned — including those from ride-hailing companies. Taxis will still be allowed. Critically for San Franciscans with mobility impairments, the project will make the 2.2-mile stretch of road compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) thanks to new curb cuts and crosswalk alignments and the replacing of old brick sidewalks.

As Cohen notes, the brick sidewalks have been a centerpiece of the Market Street experience for 40 years—ever since BART tunneled its way into the city. The changes will come in a victory for the accessibility recommendations included in a report created by the Better Market Street Pedestrian Realm Focus Group in 2013 [pdf].

Market Street's brick sidewalks leads Cohen to expand the discussion about Americans With Disabilities Act compliance around the city. San Francisco's efforts to improve ADA compliance follows a $1.3 billion agreement in a lawsuit in July 2015. A July settlement will require Seattle to create 22,500 curbs cuts for ADA compliance over the next 18 years.