Several of Muni’s historic streetcars are in line for a much-needed rehabilitation.
Sixteen of the vehicles, which make up Muni’s popular F-Market line, have been in service since 1993 and are nearing the end of their useful life. These particular vehicles are called Presidents Conference Committee streetcars and are in use 21 hours a day, 365 days a year, according to the agency.
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Last year, Bay Area motorists could glance up at huge billboards complaining, “Bay Bridge: 100% Foreign Steel” — part of a campaign launched by domestic manufacturers and union groups.
The messages were intended to shame Caltrans and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the state agencies that own and operate the structure, for purchasing steel from China for the bridge’s new self-anchored suspension span.
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Bay Bridge officials conceded Wednesday that a lack of quality control led to the installation of at least 30 steel rods in the new eastern span that are now damaged and need to be repaired.
In total, 288 threaded steel rods were encased in concrete atop two towers rising out of the water. The roadway section of the new self-anchored suspension span is bolted to the rods to help stabilize the structure in the event of an earthquake.Of the 100 rods surveyed by Caltrans this month, nearly one-third have been found to be deficient.
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A project that repaired a beachfront pathway adjacent to the Sharp Park Golf Course in Pacifica has environmental groups once again concerned about the direction of the San Francisco-maintained property.
The Recreation and Park Department, which manages the Sharp Park open space and golf course, recently completed a small re-grading project on a levee that acts as a path along the beach. The department filled in some potholes and leveled off the berm in some places, but it also left behind a new pile of large boulders on the beach.
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Devil’s Slide, a coastal section of state Highway 1 in San Mateo County notorious for rock slides and traffic accidents, will finally be replaced with something a bit more angelic.
Decades in the making, two new tunnels are expected to officially open Tuesday as part of a $439 million transportation project to provide a more reliable link between the towns of Pacifica and Half Moon Bay.
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SAN JOSE — Disregarding Wichita State’s shellacking of Pittsburgh — No. 9 seeds actually have a better record all-time against 8 seeds — Oregon’s 68-55 dismantling of Oklahoma State at HP Pavilion marked the first true upset of the NCAA Tournament.
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With cash payments soon to be a thing of the past, motorists will be able to more quickly zip through the toll plaza at the Golden Gate Bridge.
All-electronic tolling is scheduled to begin Wednesday, which will make the bridge the only span in California to feature such technology. As a result, the bridge transit district is poised to rework the posted speed limits for southbound motorists passing through the plaza.
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Fewer than half of likely California voters support the state’s proposed high-speed rail project at its current price tag, according to a poll released Wednesday.
In 2008, 52 percent of voters backed a $9.95 billion bond measure for the high-speed rail network. However, the projected cost of the plan has gone from $34 billion to $68 billion since then.
The more expensive plan has residents wary, as only 43 percent of the 1,138 likely voters interviewed said they would support the project at its current cost, according to the Public Policy Institute of California poll.
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A revised plan for the Northeast Mission neighborhood makes acquiring a residential parking permit easier, but business groups and community members say the proposal, which would also add meters, does not address their needs.
In late 2011, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which manages parking in The City, introduced a plan to install hundreds of meters in the neighborhood, which has a high concentration of light-industry businesses. The plan drew heavy criticism, prompting the agency to temporarily shelve the project.
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More controversial anti-Islamic advertisements are scheduled to be coming to Muni buses, with the new messages quoting anti-gay rhetoric from Islamic leaders. The head of the initiative said local gay leaders’ criticism of previous ads led to the latest effort.
A number of city officials, religious figures and community activists held a news conference last week to condemn a set of ads paid for by the American Freedom Defense Initiative that expressed views widely seen as anti-Islamic.
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The widow of a well-known local journalist is poised to receive one of the largest settlements Muni has issued in the past two years.
Today, the agency’s board of directors is expected to discuss in a closed-door session whether to approve a $900,000 payout for the wife of Bill Brand, who died in 2009 after being hit by a train near AT&T Park.
Brand, a former reporter for the Oakland Tribune who was known nationally for his beer column, was struck by an N-Judah light-rail vehicle at Second and King streets Feb. 8, 2009. He died in the hospital nearly two weeks later.
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Taxi passengers could soon hail every available driver in San Francisco and track their exact whereabouts as part of a new technology push to put the taxi industry on equal footing with fast-growing transportation alternatives.
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A deal has been reached to bring bike-sharing to San Francisco, with the official launch date of the
much-delayed plan set for August.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District, a regional agency, announced Thursday that it had reached an agreement with Alta Bicycle Share, the private company set to manage the project. The network was originally scheduled to be in place by last April, but stalled talks pushed back the start date.
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As students in The City head off for spring break, Muni is cutting service to adjust for the projected lower ridership.
Because students enrolled in the San Francisco Unified School District and at San Francisco State University will be on spring break from March 25 to March 29, Muni is projecting that its ridership levels will drop by nearly 20 percent.
The reduced service plan is part of a new strategy that Muni first tried during the holidays, when ridership is historically down. The transit agency reduced service on many commuter lines, saving Muni about $275,000.
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BART passengers will have to wait a little longer than expected to see more vinyl seats on trains.
In 2011, the agency started replacing its crusty and stained wool covers, much to the delight of riders. That $1.9 million project called for BART to replace the seats in 300 of its 669 train cars. So far, 250 have been outfitted with the new vinyl material and the agency is outfitting two cars a week to meet the 300 goal.
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