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SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - San Francisco's mayor says she's working to see that the Chase Center fits into the city seamlessly and has tasked department heads to troubleshoot potential problems before they arise.
Third street is one of the major avenues running through the city, and driving or walking in the area you can see work is already underway to rebuild and improve the Muni stop to accommodate the crowds of basketball fans.
Right now the Chase Center and the roads around it are a work in progress. But, the hope is that both will open smoothly when the team moves in in September.
To ensure that smooth transition Mayor London Breed convened departments heads from the fire department to public works.
One of the top priorities of this group making sure traffic can move in and around this area once the chase center opens its doors.
"There's going to be a lot of events. There's going to be concerts and games and other things, and we need to be ready, said Breed. "Not just for when they open, but long term. How are we going to handle getting people in and out of that area."
The SFMTA is currently working to enlarge the Muni platform in front of the arena to handle more trains and more passengers. The city is also adding more transit-only lanes in the area to help move crowds in and out smoothly. Some neighbors say while it's not a top concern they already time their trips according to the crowds that come and go with Giants games.
"Honestly, I kind of do research just a little bit when to come and go just because of the ballpark down this way. So, I'm a little bit used to that," said Craig Swanson from San Francisco.
Some regular visitors say they're optimistic the city already has construction underway to handle the crowds. "Nah, I think the changes that they're making right now, with improving the T Line, putting all that in, I think that's going to help the flow," said Van Jonson from Sebastopol.
Warriors President and Chief Operating Officer also weighed in, saying the team is already working to deliver a world class arena and collaborate with neighbors on how best to do that. "The meeting with the Mayor, department heads and high-level staff was a great way to keep everyone focused on the tasks at hand," said Rick Welts.
The mayor will continue meeting with those department heads on a regular basis as we approach the September opening date for the Chase Center arena.