Coming to the Mission Next Year: San Francisco’s First Raised Bikeway

Raised Bikeway Rendering of Valencia and Duncan Plaza (SF PUC)

San Francisco is set to get its first raised bikeway next year! The showcase bikeway is part of the Mission/Valencia Gateway project and will stretch southbound on Valencia Street from Cesar Chavez Street to Duncan Street. This one-block bikeway heralds a completely new type of bicycle infrastructure to our city, one that will become more common in the next few years, as raised bikeways are integrated into the Masonic Avenue and 2nd Street projects.

Raised bikeways are common in great bicycling cities like Copenhagen, but relatively new in the United States. Raised bikeways create a protected bikeway without bollards or barriers, instead building the bikeway at an intermediate level between the sidewalk and roadway. Learn more about raised bikeways and see designs here. 

The raised bikeway is an unexpected but very welcome enhancement to the Mission Valencia Green Gateway project, which wrapped up public outreach last year after three community open houses as well as feedback from hundreds of neighbors and SF Bicycle Coalition members. In addition to the raised bikeway, the final project design also includes wider sidewalks, permeable pavement and two new plazas, one at Mission and Valencia and a smaller one at Duncan and Valencia.

Work on the project is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2015 and continue until mid-2016. When completed, the Mission Valencia Green Gateway will create an improved link between the Valencia and San José corridors, making the North to South Connecting the City route even safer and more comfortable for everyone. The project is part of the larger multi-agency Green Infrastructure initiative led by the SF Public Utility Commission. This initiative also includes the Wiggle Neighborhood Greenway.

Turning Tiffany Avenue into a one-way road for cars is still on the horizon for the Mission Valencia Green Gateway. Stay tuned for further information about this exciting project and tips on how you can participate! If you have any questions or want to get involved, e-mail chema@sfbike.org.

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