Despite apprehension, Central Subway project receives much enthusiasm
SAN FRANCISCO — Imagine a Chinatown with less congestion, easier accessibility, more jobs and safer transportation. It’s a vision that many residents and business owners share, and they’re putting their hopes on the Central Subway project to make it a reality.
The subway, scheduled to be completed in three years, will link Little Hollywood and Visitación Valley with Union Square and Chinatown as part of the greater Third Street Light Rail Project.
The construction will revolve primarily around the southeast corner of Stockton and Washington Streets, where the proposed station entrance will be. The construction of the tunnel itself will be done by an underground boring machine and, according to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, will minimize impact to the community.
The agency promises that the subway will provide many boons to Chinatown, the most desirable being significant employment opportunities in troubled economic times. In addition, the subway is expected to improve travel times for both transit riders and motorists, attenuate passenger overcrowding and reduce pollution and surface congestion.
Nothing is perfect
But even with such lofty goals, some Chinatown leaders are tempering their excitement with trepidation over the immediate impact that the construction itself may have on the surrounding area.
“I hope that The City develops a program to minimize the effects of the construction,” said Pius Lee of the Chinatown Economic Development Center. “Hopefully they will develop a work schedule that will not affect the nearby businesses.”
Lee’s apprehensions are understandable, as he owns a building on Stockton just down the street from the station’s proposed construction site.
“As a public owner, I want them to make sure not to disrupt the adjacent areas as much as possible,” Lee said.
Harvey Louie, chairman of the Chinatown Transportation Research and Improvement Project, shares the same concerns about the station.
“The construction of the tunnel, being entirely underground, should not affect traffic or have any aboveground disruptions other than a slight hum,” says Louie, who has attended many of the meetings at which the details of the project were discussed. “But the building of the station is a major concern to us because it is aboveground.”
Not only is Louie worried about the typical disruptions that come with a construction project — like noise and congestion caused by trucks coming and going — but also the station’s proposed location adds another potential problem.
“It might be a disruption to the school next door,” Louie says, referring to Gordon J. Lau Elementary School between Clay and Washington Streets. “We don’t want things flying around out there, dangerous stuff in the air or big heavy trucks may be going down the wrong way where the kids are. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the situation.”
Keeping the bigger picture in mind
For its part, the Municipal Transportation Agency says it is taking all possible steps to minimize disturbances the construction may cause, and that residents and business owners should rest assured that the benefits will outweigh any temporary setbacks.
“Station construction methods will be developed to minimize impacts as much as possible,” says John Funghi, the Central Subway program manager. “The Chinatown Station will be excavated using a sequential excavation method [a mining method] that is less disruptive than a cut and cover or top down form of construction.”
In regards to the questions of noise, Funghi said the construction will include noise barriers and that the work will indeed be scheduled to minimize impacts on residents and businesses. The agency will also have dust-and-dirt prevention systems including watering, regular sweeping, clean-up and barrier systems at the construction sites.
But despite concerns over the potential obstacles presented by the initial construction, all of the parties involved share excitement and optimism for the benefits of the project.
Funghi underscored the subway’s potential to boost the local economy.
“It will bring with it business opportunities for goods and services necessary to construct the most significant capital investment in generations for the eighth-largest transit system in the nation,” says Funghi.
Louie highlighted the safety element, a less publicized benefit that the subway may bring.
“Right now on Stockton Street, you’ll see people jaywalking across the street to catch a bus — this will hopefully eliminate that,” he says. “Stockton is one of the most congested streets in San Francisco, and it’s safer to go underground rather than have people trying to cross traffic.”
When all is said and done, the currently proposed plan for the subway has received far more approval than serious objections.
“I think we all support this project,” says Pius Lee. “In the long term, Chinatown will definitely benefit from it.”
