Geary Boulevard Sewer and Water Improvements Phase 2: Frequently Asked Questions

Most of the sewer and water infrastructure on this portion of Geary Boulevard is over 120 years old, dating back to the late-1800’s when it was installed for the early development for the Richmond District.    

The water and sewer mains along Geary have been identified as high priority for replacement due to the risk of failure and impact if a failure were to occur. In some cases, we’re replacing sewer main pipes with new alignments where it will be easier to access them for future maintenance.  

Many of the laterals that connect from the water and sewer mains to homes and businesses are also in need of replacement.   

Work by the SFMTA, including sidewalk extensions (“bulbs”), new pedestrian medians, and upgraded traffic signals will improve Muni’s 38 Geary bus service and address traffic and pedestrian safety.   

The City recently completed water and sewer main replacement where needed along Geary, between 48th and 32nd Avenues, and between Stanyan and Kearny Streets.  A separate water main installation project is being planned for Stanyan Street to Presidio Avenue. Upon completion of that project, the Geary Corridor infrastructure will be completely upgraded to serve our customers for the next 70+ years. 

The entire project spans two miles from Stanyan Street to 32nd Avenue and is estimated to take approximately three years. The different scopes of work include sewer and water infrastructure upgrades (SFPUC), fiber optic upgrades and transit and safety improvements (SFMTA), and repaving the road (SFPW).  

Construction began January 6, 2025 with sewer and water infrastructure work. Transit and safety improvements are expected to begin in late 2026, with final repaving happening once all work has been completed. 

Water and sewer main installation will be completed in phases and by multiple crews across the length of the project on Geary.  Construction activity will appear to be intermittent. Expect for crews to finish a portion of work on a block and then return at a later date (sometimes months later) to work on a different aspect of work.  

This approach has been determined to be the fastest and most efficient way to complete the project.  

With this type of work schedule, it is difficult to pinpoint an exact timeframe of how long we will be working on a block as there will be construction happening at multiple different times. Some work can be completed faster than others. Depending on what aspect of work is being performed, construction duration can range from a few days to a couple of months.   
  
Here’s what the typical construction process will look like:  

For Water Service Upgrades 

1. Contractor will place “No Parking signs” on the street where construction will take place 72 hours in advance per San Francisco Municipal code. Parking is prohibited in the work zone only during active construction hours.
    
2. Crews will excavate a trench where new water pipe is to be installed.
      
3. New pipe will be installed and the trench will be refilled with special materials to protect the pipe. The contractor will temporarily pave the excavated area.   
    
4. The newly installed water pipe will be tested and disinfected. During this critical stage you may see little to no construction activity on your block. 
    
5. SF Water Department will connect new water pipe to properties. This will involve a temporary interruption of water service. Advance notice will be provided.  
    
6. The Contractor will temporarily pave the excavated areas. Temporary street restoration will be in place until final paving.* 

  
For Sewer Service Upgrades 

Sewer upgrades similarly require several steps, but we don’t need to disinfect the pipe:   

1. Contractor will place “No Parking signs” on the street where construction will take place 72 hours in advance per San Francisco Municipal code. Parking is prohibited in the work zone only during active construction hours.  
    
2. If a new pipe is being installed, crews will excavate a trench.  
   
   If the existing pipe is going to be lined, crews will set up and conduct Cured-In-Place-Lining.   
   
   (Installing a new pipe requires multi-week excavation, while lining of the existing pipe is a multi-day operation with a lot of equipment on the road, but no excavation)  
    
3. Crews will connect laterals to the new main OR reestablish lateral connections to existing sewer main pipe after lining.    
    
4. The Contractor will temporarily pave the excavated areas. Temporary street restoration will be in place until final paving.*  

This project also includes installation of underground conduits for future Fiber Optic cables on the north side of Geary:   

1. Contractor will place “No Parking signs” on the street where construction will take place 72 hours in advance per San Francisco Municipal code. Parking is prohibited in the work zone only during active construction hours.  
    
2. Crews will excavate a trench where new plastic conduits will be installed.   
    
3. New conduits will be installed and the trench will be backfilled.  
    
4. Temporarily pave the excavated areas in the street and restore the portion of sidewalks that were excavated. Temporary street restoration will be in place until final paving.* 

*Final paving will be performed at the end of the SFMTA’s Transit and Safety Surface Improvements contract. 

Local access for residents will be provided at all times during work hours, though there may be some slight delay to enter or exit your property/driveway to allow for crews to create a safe path of travel.   

Sidewalk access should be maintained during most of construction however a modified walkway may be necessary during any work that needs to occur in the sidewalk area.  

Vehicle and bus traffic will be maintained in both directions on Geary. In most cases there will be two travel lanes in both directions, but there will be times when travel will be one lane. 

In active construction zones, there will be noise, dust, vibrations, and parking restrictions. The contractor will abide by the San Francisco Noise Ordinance and will be responsible for keeping construction zones clean and orderly at the end of each workday.  

Work hours will typically be 7AM – 5PM, with some weekend or night work which will be noticed in advance.  

Yes, temporary parking restrictions will be necessary in active work areas. To provide a safe work zone and travel lanes in each direction, we usually need to utilize the parking strip adjacent to the work zone. Most parking restrictions will be during construction working hours only, allowing for parking at all other times.  

Some parking spots will be used to stage materials and equipment while work is occurring in the area. Some staging of equipment and materials will also occur offsite, away from the project corridor.    

The traffic control plans developed by the contractor will stipulate where parking restrictions will be implemented during active construction. This plan will be reviewed and approved by the SFMTA. 

There will be no impacts to sewer service, and only minimal impacts to water service during construction. Planned water service interruptions are temporary and will occur when crews are making connections to the new water main. This work usually lasts up to 4 hours and will likely be performed at night to accommodate neighborhood businesses that rely on water during the day. Those in the affected area will receive advance notice at least 24 hours prior.

There will be some sewer and water work at each intersection along the Geary project area. The work will be mostly contained within the intersection, but some work may extend approximately 10-20 ft down side streets.

There are no tree removals planned for the project, however some trees may require trimming or pruning for crews to complete their work. 

Tree protection will be placed around trees in the work area prior to the start of construction on a block.

While the sewer and water infrastructure work being performed will be similar (i.e. installing new pipelines in the ground), there are some differences that should benefit the Geary Boulevard Project, and we are working with MTA to assess lessons learned and improve our processes wherever possible. 

Most of Geary Boulevard is a wider street than Taraval Street, which allows for more room to work while also keeping a travel lane open in both directions during construction.  The first phase of Geary Boulevard improvements were completed successfully and with minimal construction impacts.  

The L Taraval Improvement Project also included light rail track work, which requires a larger area of excavation in the street. There are no rail tracks on Geary Boulevard so excavation work will be limited to just the sewer, water, and fiber optic upgrades.  

Our project teams have learned from all the major projects that we have done and are using those lessons learned to develop ways to improve the overall construction process. We have evaluated what has worked and what hasn’t and will apply these takeaways to Phase 2 of the Geary Boulevard project to minimize impacts and disruption to the neighborhood.

No, this project aims to update low-pressure water pipes and provide better water flows. 
 
Emergency Firefighting Water System (EFWS) will be using a potable water system through a different, high-pressure pipe system and this work is included in a separate future project.