Construction to begin Tuesday on San Francisco's Valencia Street bikeway

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency crews on Tuesday will begin a months-long project to replace the current center-running bike lane on Valencia Street with side-running lanes.

The design will also feature "floating parklets" that allow bike lanes to run along the sidewalks, but some "curbside parklets" will stay if it's more convenient for a business.

Construction workers will begin by removing the current center-running bicycle lane between 15th and 23rd Streets. Crews will then repave the center of the street before installing the side-running bike lanes.

The project is expected to take about two to three months to complete.

The SFTMA said the construction will not impact access to businesses in the area, but the agency noted the work may cause traffic delays and necessitate the removal of some street parking.

The backstory:

The center-running bike lane was introduced as a pilot program in 2023, and was implemented in order to ease conflict between people on bikes and motorist while maximizing loading and parking for businesses in the area.

"I think people are going to miss [the bikeway]," said cyclist Chandler Abraham. "I feel like when it's on the side, it's very broken up, versus once you get into this thing, you’re safe all the way until it ends."

Although SFMTA data indicated the pilot program improved safety and comfort for bicyclists along Valencia Street, the agency decided to replace the center-running bike lane with side-running lanes after receiving extensive community feedback expressing concern over the center lane's changes to traffic patterns.

What they're saying:

"It’s too busy of a street," said restaurant investor, Chris Yazlik. "Restaurants always have to have deliveries. You have to have produce coming in, you have to have other delivery companies and stuff like that, so imagine, they can’t park here. We have to walk to lanes over there, so it’s frustrating for everyone."

"Now I’m so happy," said Kazim Altan, who plans to open Anatolian Table, a restaurant on 18th and Valencia. "I told the previous owner, and I put a condition. If the bike lane is going away, then I’m going to purchase this restaurant from you."

"While the center-running is easy for folks to bike straight down Valencia, it’s taken time for bicyclists to understand how to turn onto side streets," the SFMTA said in a statement. "And it’s more complicated to reach mid-block destinations."

The construction will take place between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays, weather permitting. The SFMTA said there may be occasional work outside those timeframes.

Construction work will start at the southern end of the corridor at 23rd Street, and will move northward. However, work may also take place in multiple locations along Valencia Street at once.