Masonic Avenue study favors boulevard design, bike paths

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A boulevard option for the Masonic traffic calming project includes four traffic lanes, two bike lanes, a landscaped median and eliminates parking. Image courtesy of the San Francisco Planning Department.

A boulevard design that would eliminate parking and add bike lanes along a 10-block section of Masonic Avenue between Geary Boulevard and Fell Street was favored in a survey of area residents. 

The survey was conducted by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency at a Sept. 30 community meeting, the last of three community meetings about the planned redevelopment of the street. Two options were presented at the second meeting in August: A gateway option, which would consist of four lanes of traffic, bike lanes and parking on the east side of the street, with landscaped medians periodically on the way; and a boulevard option, which eliminates parking in favor of landscaped medians, two-way bike lanes and four lanes of traffic. 

The Masonic traffic calming project, also known as the Masonic Avenue Street Design Study, aims to improve the street and accommodate the needs of motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians and Muni and improve the appearance of the street, according to the Bike NOPA website.

Fix Masonic, a nonprofit group, has endorsed the boulevard option, albeit with some changes, such as repainting crosswalks, painting the 25 mph speed limit on all traffic lanes at several locations, the installation of a red-light camera at the intersection of Fell and Masonic and seeking a double-fine zone along Masonic, according to the Bike NOPA website.

The boulevard option would cost approximately $20 million and would take 12-18 months to complete, according to Streetsblog San Francisco. The gateway option would cost $15 million and take six to 12 months to complete. SFMTA project manager Javad Mirabdal said most of the funds would come from state and federal sources.

The transit agency is expected to complete a final report on the development by the end of the year. Once a design option is finalized, an environmental impact report will be done on the area before the plan goes to the SFMTA Board for public hearings and final approval. Construction might not begin until 2012.

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