San Francisco's California Street Cable Car Line Going Out Of Service For Repairs
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) -- The California Street cable car line will be out of service for six months beginning Monday, a San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency spokesman said.
Starting Jan. 3, the cable car route, which runs along California Street from the Embarcadero to Van Ness Avenue, will shut down for renovations and remain closed until July, Muni spokesman Paul Rose said.
The work is part of the California Street Cable Car Infrastructure Improvement Project, which began in September. The project is a collaborative effort between the SFMTA and the city's Department of Public Works.
Rose said the improvements initially started with sidewalk curb repairs, sewer replacements and curb ramp installations.
Although the line stayed open during the first phase of improvements, Rose said trolleys along the California line will be on hiatus as the project enters the second phase.
"Phase two will involve the replacement of the aging electronic system under the cable car tracks," Rose said. "It will also include the reconstruction and repaving of concrete streets."
The repaving will take place along 17 blocks of California Street between Van Ness Avenue and Drumm Street, Rose said.
Any lingering work from the first phase of the project will also be finished up, Rose said.
At least one traffic lane in each direction on California Street will stay open at all times during the construction. To mitigate congestion, a Muni shuttle bus will run along the route from 6 a.m. to midnight.
Rose said the Powell-Hyde and Powell-Mason cable car lines will be mostly unaffected by the construction at first, but will be shut down for four days each in March and April, and for as-yet unspecified dates in June.
"Cable cars are a key component of our tourism industry," Rose said. "And we wanted to make sure that some lines were still available."
The renovation work is scheduled to take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Rose said a project like this is crucial because maintaining transportation systems is key to sustaining urban growth.
"The care and stewardship of the cable cars is important," he said. "This program ensures that our system will be in a state of good repair. If we reinvest in Muni, ultimately we are reinvesting in the future of San Francisco."
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