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SF’s “Fugly” Geary Pedestrian Bridge Demolished This Weekend

Non-ADA compliant bridge is gone making room for better crosswalks, more green and new bus lane
By - posted 5/27/2020 No Comment

Thanks to Broke-Ass Stuart for letting us know that the pedestrian bridge at Geary & Steiner was successfully demolished.

To improve crosswalks and medians the circa-1962 pedestrian overpass at Geary and Steiner was permanently demolished last Memorial Day weekend.

The Steiner bridge demolition is part of the Geary Rapid Project, which aims to improve 38 Geary bus service and bring much-needed safety improvements to the Geary corridor. 

Why was the Bridge Demolished?

The Steiner pedestrian bridge was built in 1962, before the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) set standards to ensure that public spaces are accessible to people of all abilities. The ramps to access the bridge have slopes between 11-17%, which far exceeds the 5% limit.

The bridge’s support piers also reduced visibility of people crossing at the intersection.

In place of the overpass, we’ll be improving conditions for how people already prefer to travel: currently, over 80% of people crossing Geary at Steiner on foot or wheelchair do so at street level. Safer and more accessible street level crosswalks will be installed, as well as new streetlights and upgrades to the adjacent San Francisco Recreation and Parks facilities.

Why is This Better? What’s Next for Intersection?

Later this year after the bridge is removed, the two bridge landing spaces will be renovated for the adjacent SF Recreation and Parks sites. Hamilton Recreation Center will have a new stairway added at the northwest corner of Steiner and Geary, along with an expanded patio and new landscaping. The Raymond Kimbell Playground grassy area will also be expanded into the former spiral ramp area with the paved pathway realigned to the corner of Geary and Steiner.

Once Geary Rapid Project utility upgrades and street repaving are completed in early 2021, a new surface crosswalk will be added on the east side of the intersection. The existing crosswalk on the west side of the intersection will also be improved with larger medians, and green-backed sharrows will be painted in the intersection to signal the best path for cyclists to cross Geary. The removal of the bridge support piers in the roadway will also free up space for new bus lanes.

Read more about the Geary Rapid Project.