Proposed changes to the 38-Geary bus line will be discussed at two public open houses this week, as SFMTA finalizes the designs for phase one of the Geary Rapid Project.

The first phase of the Geary Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project will include improvements along Geary and O'Farrell streets between Market and Stanyan streets.

Rendering of Geary BRT at Fillmore Street | Image: SFCTA

“SFMTA is sharing our draft final design for final input,” project manager Liz Brisson told Hoodline. The final design for phase one, the Geary Rapid Project, includes some minor changes from the one approved by the SFMTA board last year, including some shifts in bus stop locations, new loading zone locations, and additional pedestrian bulb-outs, she said.

Those modifications are being proposed based on new technical information as well as additional coordination with community stakeholders, Brisson added.

SFMTA is especially interested in feedback on the changes that will occur in the availability of on-street parking and zones for commercial and passenger loading, Brisson said. Block-by-block detailed designs are available for the public to review, and will be on display during the open houses.

Rendering of proposed changes to O'Farrell between Leavenworth and Taylor streets. | Image: SFMTA

The federal environmental impact statement and record of decision approving the project on the federal level was published in the Federal Register on June 15th, Brisson said, giving a clear path forward for local implementation of the project.

The second phase of improvements along Geary Boulevard past Stanyan street is in the preliminary design phase, according to Brisson.

The two phases of the Geary BRT project. | Image: SFMTA

After the open houses this week to consult with the community on the draft final design for phase one, SFMTA will make revisions and conduct outreach in early August to share any changes made based on public feedback, Brisson said.

The revised final design will then be brought before the SFMTA Board for consideration, and it would have to approve legislation amending the parking spaces, loading zones, and traffic patterns along the Geary Rapid Project route, she said.

Implementation of the project design is expected to begin in September 2018 and continue into early 2021, Brisson added.

The agency will host one community open house this evening and a second on Saturday, June 23rd, to review the most recent designs and discuss implications of the changes in the bus route.