$2.1 Million Allocated for Southbound I-280 Ocean Avenue Off Ramp Design Project

The San Francisco County Transportation Authority board of directors Tuesday approved programming of $2.1 million in local and state funds for the design phase for the southbound Interstate 280 Ocean Avenue off ramp.

Officials said the project is an effort to improve pedestrian safety near the off ramp, which leads to City College of San Francisco and the busy intersection of Ocean Avenue and Frida Kahlo Way. The stretch is on the city’s high-injury corridor network, a group of streets known to be dangerous.

Approximately $1 million will come from the state’s Local Partnership Program and another $1 million will come from the reprogramming of local Proposition K funds from the previous Interstate 101/280 express bus lane project, which had been scaled down.

SFCTA staff said the project will realign the existing off ramp a “free flow” right turn into a signalized T-intersection. The project also includes A new pedestrian crosswalk signal, sidewalk and curb ramps.

District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar said the intersection of Ocean Avenue and Fridah Kahlo Way was a “hot mess” with not just vehicle traffic, but also college and high school students coming off Muni and BART.

Melgar added that she asked SFCTA staff last month to start a Neighborhood Transportation Improvement Program study to look at the top transportation needs along the Ocean Avenue corridor, including public transit, better pedestrian infrastructure and bike lanes.

“I have a lot of hope that we can do some really good improvements to the streets that will support the neighborhoods and the merchants as well as City College,” Melgar said.

The SFCTA expects the design to be completed by September 2023 with construction beginning December 2025 subject to funding availability.

There was also $250,000 approved in local Prop. K funding for a feasibility study for another I-280 off ramp. The study will look at safety and circulation improvements at the Geneva Avenue off ramp and intersection through traffic and concept analysis. The study is expected to be completed by September 2022.