Federal transit officials have awarded grants to Caltrain and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency for accessibility improvements for two separate projects.
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awarded Caltrain a $14.1 million grant last month for wheelchair-access improvements at the 22nd Street station, near the city’s Dogpatch neighborhood. The SFMTA received a $2.4 million grant to improve the accessibility of N-Judah light rail stops. The grants are part of the FTA’s All Stations Accessibility Program.
Wheelchair-accessible ramps at the station’s northbound and southbound platforms are part of the 22nd Street station project. Currently, the only access to the platforms is by stairs.
The San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) said the project will also include “platform resurfacing, tactile tiles, lighting, signage, and wayfinding to improve accessibility, safety, and connectivity.”
The SFCTA will provide additional funding for the project. approved spending $ 1.3 million in local transportation sales tax funds in April of this year for the project’s design phase
“I’m not sure if all of you are aware, but this is the only Caltrain station that is not wheelchair accessible, and so this design work is very important,” District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton said at the April 14 SFCTA board meeting. Walton also serves as a director on the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, which oversees and operates Caltrain.
The design phase is expected to be completed by summer 2027 and project completion by the end of 2029, subject to funding.
For the SFMTA. The $2.4 million will be used to construct four ADA-compliant boarding islands at two pairs of transit stops along the N light rail line. The N is Muni’s busiest light rail line with an average of 38,000 daily boardings.
Construction of the boarding islands is part of the SFMTA’s N Judah Transit and Safety Project, with goals to improve the reliability of the N, improve accessibility for passengers and reduce crowding. The project is currently in its outreach phase, the SFMTA said on its website.
The Voice reached out to the SFMTA for more information about the project but had not heard back by press time.
