San Francisco, CA - Today, Mayor London N. Breed and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) announced that the SFMTA has been awarded $8 million from the US Department of Transportation (US DOT) Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program. . The funds will be used for street improvements that are part of the Tenderloin Traffic Safety improvements Project.
The Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program was established by President Biden’s historic infrastructure law, and provides $5 billion over five years for regional, local, and Tribal initiatives — from redesigned roads to better sidewalks and crosswalks — to prevent deaths and serious injuries on the nation’s roadways.
This new award will be used for:
- Larkin Street traffic signal modifications and left-turn phasing - $7M
- Traffic signal upgrades and left-turn phasing at up to 11 intersections to enhance signal visibility and pedestrian signal improvements.
- Golden Gate Greenway - $1.05M
- A community-initiated project that was started by St Anthony Foundation and the 100 Golden Gate Greenway Coalition to reduce the 100 block of Golden Gate Avenue from two to one-lane of vehicle traffic, reconfigure the overhead trolley wires, and to activate Shared Spaces on both sides of the roadway for community activities.
- Bikeway Protected Corners - $950K
- Establishing bikeway protected corners at six intersections in the Tenderloin. Protected corners physically separate people walking/biking from those driving so that it is easier to see and yield to people walking and biking.
- Communication and outreach - $1M
- Fund efforts to for multi-lingual education efforts and campaigns around safety, including outreach to low-income individuals, seniors, people with disabilities and monolingual populations.
Combined, the projects exceed $8 million. The SFMTA matched an additional $2 million as a 20% local requirement.
“The Tenderloin community deserves safe streets like all neighborhoods, and this includes creating safer conditions for people walking, biking, and driving,” said Mayor London Breed. “I’m grateful for the President Biden’s investments in creating safer streets and safer communities here in San Francisco. These improvements will help protect all of our residents, especially our seniors, people with disabilities, and our lower income residents.”
“President Biden’s historic Infrastructure Law is paving the way for safer streets and roads in San Francisco,” Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said. “This new $8 million in federal funding will reduce traffic fatalities in the Tenderloin by upgrading outdated traffic signals, establishing protected corners for pedestrians at busy intersections and creating new traffic-free spaces for community activities and gatherings. It was my privilege to advocate for funding to help more San Franciscans safely navigate streets in the Tenderloin and across our City.”
The Tenderloin is home to many of the City’s most vulnerable communities, including historically marginalized groups such as people with disabilities, residents of single resident occupancy (SROs) and supportive housing and limited-English proficient communities. Many of the streets have historically been prioritized as vehicle thoroughfares and as such, every street remains on the City’s High Injury Network (HIN), the 12% of City streets where 78% of severe and fatal collisions occur. Despite numerous recent improvements, the streets are in critical need of upgrades and investments to continue prioritizing safety as part of our Vision Zero goals.
Traffic signals in the Tenderloin are aging and, in some cases, incompatible with best practices in safe street design. Pedestrians and bicyclists in the Tenderloin face transportation connectivity challenges due to the lack of Pedestrian Countdown Signals and/or Accessible Pedestrian Signals at numerous intersections. Additionally, the high volumes of people walking, biking, and riding transit emphasize the need for safe and connected streets. The grant will go towards funding much needed capital improvements.
“We are very grateful to the US Department of Transportation for this grant that will help make the Tenderloin neighborhood safer for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers,” said Jeff Tumlin, Director of Transportation at the SFMTA. “The Tenderloin is home to many of San Francisco’s most vulnerable communities, including people with disabilities, senior citizens, immigrants and people with very low incomes – and everyone who lives there deserves to be safe. We also want to express our thanks to the Tenderloin community groups who have been tenacious in advocating for traffic safety and travel options in their neighborhood.”
This work will be guided by Proven Safety Countermeasures and Safe System Approach from the US DOT’s Federal Highway Administration Highway Safety Program to reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries.
This is the second year that the SFMTA has received funding through the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program. In 2022, the SFMTA was awarded $17.6M for the Western Addition Community Safe Streets Project. Construction began this summer for traffic signal upgrades and speed management improvements. For more information, visit Western Addition Community Based Transportation Plan Implementation and the SFMTA Blog.
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