Photo of Williams Avenue looking west towards Phelps Street

Williams Avenue Quick-Build Safety Project

Virtual Open House

April 22, 2021 - May 13, 2021

5/14/2021 Update: Thank you for visiting! The virtual open house has concluded. We are currently reviewing the feedback received and preparing for Public Hearing. This site will remain live so the public can explore the project and get more information.

Welcome!

(please select your preferred language below)

Thank you for joining this virtual open house for the Williams Avenue Quick-Build Safety Project! This is an opportunity for you to learn more and give the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) feedback on proposed traffic safety improvements along Williams Avenue between 3rd Street and Vesta/Phelps Street.

We want to hear from you!

The SFMTA is seeking your input on potential street designs for this corridor so that we can better address your safety needs.

This open house website will be available for feedback for a three-week period from April 22, 2021 to May 13, 2021. While the open house website is live, staff will be available via email, and you are also welcome to attend our online or in-person office hours for further questions.

Office Hours Schedule:

How to Navigate:

This open house website is best viewed on a laptop or desktop web browser, but it is also accessible by tablet or mobile devices.

There is a navigation bar at the top of the web page that can help you move to specific sections that you're interested in such as background information, proposed changes, and the project schedule. Otherwise, for full project context, we recommend scrolling from the beginning to the end.

To leave a question or comment, please visit the "Feedback" section, which can be found in the navigation bar above or at the bottom of this web page. You can also directly access our feedback survey  here .

If you encounter any issues with this web page, please send an email to  BayviewQB@SFMTA.com .

Language Assistance:

To access this open house website in Chinese and/or Spanish, please scroll back up to the top and click on the word, "Welcome" in the corresponding language.

Contact 311 - Free language assistance / 免費語言協助 / Ayuda gratis con el idioma / Бесплатная помощь переводчиков / Trợ giúp Thông dịch Miễn phí / Assistance linguistique gratuite / 無料の言語支援 / 무료 언어 지원 / Libreng tulong para sa wikang Filipino / การช่วยเหลือทางด้านภาษาโดยไม่เสียค่าใช้จ่าย /خط المساعدة المجاني على الرقم

Overview

The Williams Avenue Quick-Build Safety Project is one part of the  Bayview Community-Based Transportation Plan Quick-Build Projects , which is the SFMTA's commitment to implement traffic safety improvements directly recommended by the  Bayview Community-Based Transportation Plan  (CBTP).

The Bayview CBTP is a community-driven, SFMTA-led planning effort to improve transportation mobility and safety in the culturally rich and resilient Bayview community by identifying solutions tailored to the needs of residents, community-based organizations, and businesses. Recognizing the immediate need for transportation improvements in Bayview ­Hunters Point, locations for near term improvements were identified and prioritized by the community during the planning phase of the Bayview CBTP. This is why the SFMTA is working on implementing traffic safety improvements along Williams Avenue, in addition to many other places like Evans Avenue and Quesada Avenue.

The goal of the Bayview Quick-Build Project is to reduce the risk of traffic-related injuries and deaths and increase safety and comfort for people traveling on these corridors.

A person walking across Williams Avenue

Timeline:

October 2020 - February 2021

  • Collect and analyze traffic data
  • Inform community of quick-build project
  • Collect initial feedback through direct stakeholder outreach
  • Draft design proposals

April & May 2021

  • Open house website is live to showcase project information and design proposals
  • Collect feedback about design proposals
  • Adjust proposals as needed in response to feedback

Spring & Summer 2021

  • Prepare for implementation by coordinating with various work crews
  • Notify community of upcoming construction
  • Implement changes to the street

Existing Conditions

Williams Avenue, between 3rd Street and Vesta/Phelps Street, is a little bit less than a half mile long. The roadway is generally 69-feet wide with two westbound vehicular travel lanes and one eastbound vehicular travel lane. It briefly narrows down for a short segment between Diana Street and Reddy Street, where it is a bridge crossing over Caltrain train tracks. Sidewalks are on both sides of the street. There is on-street parking on both sides of the street, sometimes oriented parallel, perpendicularly, or angled.

Typical view of Williams Avenue at Reddy Street

Typical view of Williams Avenue at Neptune Street

Transit

Muni bus route 54 Felton, which transports passengers between Hunters Point and the Daly City BART Station, briefly runs along Williams Avenue between 3rd Street and Reddy Street.

Whether traveling inbound or outbound, there is one stop at Williams Avenue & Reddy Street and one stop at Williams Avenue & 3rd Street. The existing stops are "flag stops," which means that the bus does not pull up to the curb. Instead, the bus comes to a complete stop in the travel lane to let passengers on and off. Passengers make their own way onto the sidewalk.

Nearby, the Muni bus route and light rail line T Third Street travels along 3rd Street.

Map of existing nearby transit routes and stops

Traffic Safety

Over the past five years, there have been 20 reported traffic collisions that resulted in injury. The top factor for injury collisions is failure to yield at crosswalks. The second highest reason is speeding.

The SFMTA’s goals for Williams Avenue include improving pedestrian visibility and comfort at crossings and reducing vehicle speeds.

This project is in support of San Francisco’s Vision Zero commitment of eliminating all traffic deaths and serious injuries.

Community Destinations

Despite challenging conditions, many travel on Williams Avenue to access essential businesses and services, including the Bayview Police Station, Walgreens, and many local businesses. Williams Avenue also serves a critical function in providing access to food and nutrition for neighborhood residents. Foods Co. (the largest existing food retailer in Bayview Hunters Point) and the Florence Fang Community Farm (which has also operated a food pantry during the COVID-19 pandemic) are both located along this street.

A driver yields to a person walking in a crosswalk

Quick-Build Toolkit

Quick-build projects are reversible, adjustable, traffic safety improvements that can be installed relatively quickly with city crews using road paint, street bollards and traffic signs. Unlike major capital projects that may take years to plan, design, bid and construct, quick-build projects are buildable within months and are reviewed,  evaluated , and adjusted for a 24-month period following initial construction.

Many of the traffic safety issues we see on Williams Avenue can be addressed through quick-build improvements. While quick-builds are typically low-cost and use low-impact materials, they can create highly effective results. Community outreach and engagement plays a key role in ensuring quick-build projects respond appropriately to the neighborhood's needs.

For more information, please visit  SFMTA.com/QuickBuild .

Swipe through the photos and descriptions below to learn more about the tools we use for quick-build projects.

01 / 08

Proposed Changes

The SFMTA is proposing a street design on Williams Avenue that applies treatments from the Quick-Build Toolkit to address traffic safety issues discussed in the Existing Conditions section.

In summary, this project is proposing the following changes:

  • Remove one westbound travel lane and reconfigure parallel parking to perpendicular parking
  • Install traffic calming devices like speed cushions and painted medians to reinforce driving at safer speeds
  • Install red visibility zones at intersections, some reinforced with khaki paint and delineators to become painted safety zones, to increase visibility at intersections
  • Upgrade crosswalks throughout to better draw attention to where people may be crossing the street
  • Upgrade one flag stop to a bus zone and remove one flag stop for the Muni 54 Felton outbound route

Typical Existing Street Configuration (looking west)

Typical Proposed Street Configuration (looking west)

To view the proposed design, swipe through the images below. Alternatively, you can view a PDF version of the images  here .

Proposed Transit Changes

This project is also collecting feedback on the following potential changes regarding Muni 54 Felton outbound bus stops.

  • Upgrading the flag stop on Williams Avenue at 3rd Street to a bus zone. Bus zones are marked areas for buses to stop. With a bus zone, bus drivers can pull up to the sidewalk to let passengers on and off from the sidewalk.
  • Removing the flag stop on Van Dyke Avenue at Lane Street. Due to its close proximity (230 feet) to the next stop, this stop may be removed to improve transit speed.

Feedback

Let us know what you think about the proposed changes in the following survey.

Williams Avenue Quick-Build Safety Project Open House Survey

Williams Avenue today

Contact Info

Thanks for visiting the open house!

While the open house website is live, staff will be available via email, and you can also talk with the project team directly by attending office hours at one of the times listed below:

Other questions, comments, or concerns not answered here?

Email us at  BayviewQB@SFMTA.com  with your feedback or submit a voice comment at (415) 918-2515.

Comments and questions received during the week will be responded to and posted on this webpage by 5 pm the following Friday. Check back to see comments received and responses to questions.

To stay in touch, visit SFMTA.com/BayviewQB or sign up for updates using the button below.

Map of existing nearby transit routes and stops