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San Francisco Bayview Improvement Project Gets Underway

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – Construction on a major street improvement project in San Francisco's Bayview District is underway, with the hope being to transform the block into one of the greenest and most sustainable in the city.

People who live on Newcomb Avenue joined San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee on Wednesday to mark the start of the street's involvement in the now 6-year-old Model Block improvement project.

"This is the first time it's been taken into a purely residential area and it's important that we do it in Bayview because it means a lot to the residents here," Lee said.

KCBS' Anna Duckworth Reports:

Michelle Mouton, who has lived on Newcomb for 21 years, said the area has historically been neglected by the city and this is an important project to show that the city is making an effort to invest back in the neighborhood.

"We're going to have a really innovative streetscape plan that's probably going to be the envy of some of the other more privileged neighborhoods," she said. "We're dealing with ecological sustainability, a strong drainage containment and traffic calming."

The project includes replacing the largely concrete block with landscaping, lighting and raised sidewalks to slow down vehicles. Mouton said the improvements can become a model for the entire neighborhood.

"Our work is not over. We still have to try to drive down the crime," Mouton said.

The $1.6 million grant-funded project is scheduled to be completed in four months.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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