Boulevard Replacing Sliver of Freeway

Short Street Takes Shape in San Francisco's Mission District

Ghilotti Bros. and ProVen Management will have construction of the $26 million Octavia Boulevard project wrapped up in July. The six-lane thoroughfare replaces an earthquake-damaged portion of the Central Freeway.

By Thomas York

Photo by Thomas York

San Francisco is well down the road on a $36.5 million project to replace a .67-mi. portion of the Central Freeway damaged in the Loma Prieta earthquake 15 years ago.

A successful ballot measure approved by city voters five years ago authorized the city to raze the 44-year-old elevated freeway north of Market Street in the city's Mission District and replace it with a six-lane boulevard distinguished by a wide, tree-lined median. The measure also approved construction of a new on- and off-ramp at Market, which will feed traffic to and from the new boulevard.

Work on the new thoroughfare-to be called Octavia Boulevard-and the access ramps started in February and will be completed in July, said Frank Lee, public affairs officer for San Francisco Department of Public Works, the agency managing the Octavia Boulevard part of the project.

San Rafael-based Ghilotti Bros. is the general contractor for the $10.5 million Octavia Boulevard portion.

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South San Francisco-based ProVen Management is the general contractor for construction of the on- and off- ramps, a $26 million contract let by Caltrans.

Rich Disney, ProVen's project manager, said pastel coloring will be added to concrete to soften the visual impact for residents living in the Mission District.

"Colored concrete is 50- to 75-percent more expensive, but Caltrans agreed to the added cost as a concession to the city and area residents," Disney said.

Mike Powers, project manager for Ghilotti Bros., said boulevard construction is moving forward in spite of unexpected obstacles such as old basement walls, fuel lines and abandoned conduits encountered during grading, site preparation and utility trenching. "We're finding all kinds of things that aren't on the maps," Powers said.

The old freeway structure from Fell Street to Mission Street was demolished last year by Anaheim-based Penhall Construction. Powers said Penhall had to haul away 10,000 tons of rubble that was contaminated with lead from automobile exhaust accumulated over more than four decades.

Fell and Oak streets, which will intersect with the new boulevard, serve as the main routes to the city's western neighborhoods.

San Francisco's Lee said that before the freeway was torn down, the ramps at Fell and Oak streets carried more than 40,000 cars daily.

"We want to make sure the neighborhoods function during construction," he added. "Construction work is very disruptive, so we want to minimize the impact to area residents."