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5 Facts about the Geary Blvd Infrastructure Upgrades 🚧👷

5 Facts about the Geary Blvd Infrastructure Upgrades 🚧👷
  • Shalon Rogers

For more than 120 years, the Richmond District’s water and sewer infrastructure system has served the neighborhood and beyond. With one of the sewer pipes dating back to 1877 and most water pipes installed in the late 1800s, these hardworking systems even withstood the trauma of the 1906 earthquake and fire. The time has come for an upgrade. 

In January 2025, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) began construction to modernize the Richmond District’s water and sewer infrastructure along Geary Boulevard from 32nd Avenue to Stanyan Street.

Five Key Project Highlights 

5 Facts about the Geary Blvd Infrastructure Upgrades 🚧👷
  1. The project will replace or rehabilitate approximately 1.4 miles of sewer mains and 6.7 miles of water pipes. Sewer upgrades will improve system reliability, increase capacity, and reduce the risk of flooding and backups for residents and businesses.  
  2. Replacing the 16-inch transmission line on Geary Boulevard, which serves the entire Richmond District, will improve water pressure, flow and reliability for homes, businesses, and firefighting. Because San Francisco’s water system is interconnected, these upgrades will benefit not only the Richmond District, but also neighborhoods like the Western Addition. 
  3. Geary Boulevard will remain open during construction, with two lanes available in both directions in most cases. Only active work zones will have traffic restrictions, ensuring other areas remain accessible. Driveway access for residents and businesses will be maintained. 
  4. The project will be carried out in two segments (Segment A: 32nd Avenue to 12th Avenue in the Outer Richmond; Segment B: 12th Avenue to Stanyan Street) with work occurring in phases. While it may seem unusual to revisit the same blocks multiple times, this phased approach is the most efficient and cost-effective way to complete the work quickly, reducing the total time neighborhoods experience construction and ensuring that all critical upgrades are completed in one comprehensive effort. 
  5. In late 2026, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) will join the project to add above-ground pedestrian safety and bus improvements along the two-mile corridor to make it safer and easier for people to get where they’re going. 

For more details including a construction timeline and ways we’re supporting small businesses in the area, please visit the Geary Project website.  

By tackling this $50 million sewer and water project all at once, the SFPUC aims to ensure residents and businesses in the Richmond District will have clean, reliable drinking water and flushing toilets for the next century. Stay tuned for future updates on this project!