Mayor Edwin M. Lee today announced his two-year investment for street resurfacing projects in San Francisco, pledging to commit nearly $90 million to pay for pothole repair, repaving, striping and other safety measures to improve the City’s roads.

“San Franciscans deserve streets that are smooth and easy to travel on, and won’t result in wear-and-tear on their vehicles or create hazards for cyclists and pedestrians,” said Mayor Lee. “Our capital budget will improve these daily quality-of-life issues, while also making critical investments that will have lasting impact for generations to come.”

Mayor Lee made the investment announcement at a street resurfacing project on 29th Avenue between Cabrillo and Fulton streets. Street resurfacing will be funded at $89.5 million over two years, continuing the City’s progress towards improving the City’s Pavement Condition Index (PCI) score to 70 by 2025. A higher PCI score means fewer potholes, less wear and tear on vehicles, smoother rides for all road users, and reduced long-term maintenance costs.

During the past five years, nearly 3,900 blocks have been resurfaced in San Francisco—a strategic investment that has led to safer and smoother roads. The City’s regionally tracked roadway conditions have shown a steady improvement since San Francisco voters approved the $248 million Road Repaving and Street Safety Bond in 2011, with additional funding support from Mayor Lee to advance the progress in subsequent years. The bolstered capital investment has allowed San Francisco to resurface more than 700 blocks a year, far exceeding the 400 or so blocks that had been paved annually prior to the bond approval.

“Mayor Lee has made it a mission of his to improve the condition of the streets of San Francisco and one that he has delivered on with sustained investment in roadway improvements,” said San Francisco Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru. “Taking care of our roads is a priority and one that benefits everyone, whether you drive, bike, walk or ride a bus.”

The street resurfacing investment is part of Mayor Lee’s $530.3 million proposed two-year capital budget to invest in San Francisco’s future. The proposed capital budget is nearly seven times larger than the one in 2011, when Mayor Lee took office.

Mayor Lee’s Fiscal Year FY 2017-18 and FY 2018-19 proposed capital budget follows the adopted Ten-Year Capital Plan by fully funding the General Fund pay-as-you-go capital program over both years, demonstrating the City’s commitment to continuous improvement with a record investment of $137.8 million in the first year and $147.3 million in the second year.

“Investments in our infrastructure over the next two years will create a more resilient and safer city.” said City Administrator Naomi M. Kelly and Chair of the Capital Planning Committee. “In the Capital Plan we emphasize investments we can make now to create a stronger city today and for the future.”

These funds will make critical seismic repairs, transportation system improvements, and create safer streets for pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers. Some of the highlights include the following:

• Largest General Fund Capital Budget Ever: $137.8 million and 147.3 million are the two largest single-year allocations of General Fund capital in San Francisco’s history. In addition, this is the fourth consecutive year that Mayor Lee has funded the first budget year at the Capital Plan-recommended level and the first time ever that the second year is also funded at the Plan-recommended level.
• Better Streets: Street resurfacing, the largest single expenditure in the capital budget, is funded at $89.5 million over two years, on pace to achieve a Pavement Condition Index (PCI) score of 70 by the City’s target date of 2025. A higher PCI score means fewer potholes, less wear and tear on vehicles, smoother rides for all road users, and reduced long-term maintenance costs.
• Resiliency: $3 million to continue plans to fortify and upgrade the Seawall, which serves as the foundation for the waterfront from Fisherman’s Wharf to Mission Creek just south of AT&T Park, and $300,000 to support the Mayor’s Sea Level Rise Action Plan.
• Safer Streets: $1.25 million to supported coordinated bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements as part of the City’s Vision Zero initiative. These improvements will be coordinated with planned construction projects in the right-of-way to minimize disturbances to neighborhoods. Planned projects will focus on the high-injury network and school-proximate projects. In addition to the commitment to repair tree-related sidewalk damage as part of the voter-approved Street Trees set-aside, $2.9 million is proposed for sidewalk repair. The proposed budget also continues to fully fund the ADA Right-of-Way Curb Ramps program with $11.8 million.
• Stronger Right-of-Ways: The proposed budget continues to fully fund the Street Structure Repair program with nearly $5 million for City-owned stairways, retaining walls, underpasses, and tunnels. For the first time, the proposed budget also funds all requested stair and wall replacement projects, which include the Funston Avenue retaining wall, Kearny Street stairs, Mullen Avenue stairs, and the 17th Avenue street stair and wall, as well as the 25th Street pedestrian bridge.
• Restored Bridges: Building on past commitments, $7.8 million in required local match will be used to leverage $55 million in federal funds to repair structural steel elements at the 3rd Street Bridge and rehabilitate the Islais Creek Bridge with equipment and system upgrades, bridge deck and fender system replacement, painting, and corrosion repair.
• Creating Jobs: The $530.3 million to be invested through the capital budget will support more than 4,400 jobs over the life of the projects that are funded.
• Neighborhood and Livability Improvements:
  • Developer-paid impact fees will fund $92.2 million in streetscape and open space improvements in rapidly growing areas such as South of Market, Market Octavia, Eastern Neighborhoods, Rincon Hill, and Transit Center.
  • $2 million in funding for Dig Once, which takes advantage of existing planned street construction to add high-speed internet fiber conduit, reducing the number of times streets must be torn up.

“In real dollars, Mayor Lee has done more to improve infrastructure than any other Mayor over the past 50 years,” said Brian Strong, Chief Resilience Officer and Director of the Office of Resilience and Capital Planning for the City.

The City and County of San Francisco’s Capital Planning Committee makes recommendations to the Mayor and Board of Supervisors on infrastructure needs and spending. It is Chaired by the City Administrator and includes the President of the Board of Supervisors, Controller, Budget Director, Planning Director, Public Works Director, Port Director, Municipal Transportation Agency Director, Airport Director, Public Utilities Commission General Manager, and Parks and Recreation General Manager.

The Capital Planning Committee’s recommendations are guided by the adopted FY 2017-18 through 2026-27 Ten-Year Capital Plan. For more information, go to: onesanfrancisco.org.