Reopening Of Stockton Street Marks Milestone In Central Subway Project
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- After being closed for seven years, a portion of Stockton Street in downtown San Francisco reopened Thursday, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency officials announced.
Stockton Street between Geary and Ellis streets had been closed for construction of the underground Central Subway, which is set to connect riders from the South of Market neighborhood to Chinatown.
With the reopening of Stockton Street, some bus routes will return to their regular routes after having been rerouted for several years. The 8-Bayshore line and 91-Third Street/19th Avenue route will return to their previous routes, running through Stockton Street and onto Fourth Street, starting on Monday.
The 45-Union/Stockton and 30-Stockton routes will continue its reroute and return to its regular route, also through Stockton Street and onto Fourth Street starting later this Spring, Muni officials said.
"Stockton Street is a major commercial artery and bus route that brings life into the heart of District Three," Supervisor Aaron Peskin said in a statement. "For many residents in Chinatown and North Beach, this throughway also represents equitable and undisrupted access to downtown jobs and services. The celebration of this milestone, right before the Lunar New Year Parade and Celebration, is a symbol of hope for all of us that the final completion of the Central Subway is close at hand."
"The Central Subway will bring together neighborhoods that have long been in need of improved public transit," SFMTA Director Ed Reiskin said in a statement. "The SFMTA has committed itself to building this vital link between two of San Francisco's most iconic communities. The reopening of Stockton Street represents a significant milestone in the growth of a world class transportation system."
Muni officials predict the Central Subway will be completed sometime later this year.
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