The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission's Geary update now reads, "As of October 9, 2026: The project is 100% complete." Its contractor has left the area and taken its equipment and materials with it. That ends work on water and sewer lines between 32nd Avenue and Stanyan Street, most of it more than 120 years old and dating to the late 1800s, when the Richmond District was first built out.
For Richmond residents, the next stretch is easier to read than the last one. How Geary works for the 38 and for parking was mostly settled in 2023. The phase still ahead is the street people can see: new curbs, new medians, new pavement, about 50 trees and sidewalk art at six Rapid stops. Public Works also calls it the last construction planned for the corridor.
Two calendars, one of them out of date
The SFMTA's project page still carries an August 2026 timeline graphic. It shows the utility upgrades running until mid-2027, including fiber optic conduits from 25th Avenue to Stanyan. The SFPUC's own page also keeps older text pointing to fall 2027. Neither one matches the dated October 9 status, which marks both segments complete: 32nd to 12th Avenue, and 12th Avenue to Stanyan.
So if a neighbor quotes a 2027 date for the utility work, that is the stale graphic. The underground phase is finished. The SFMTA phase is next, and it has not started yet.
| Phase | Who | What | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quick-Build | SFMTA | Transit lanes, bus stop changes, signal retiming, striping | Done in fall 2023 |
| Underground utilities | SFPUC | Water and sewer mains, 32nd Avenue to Stanyan | Began early 2025, 100% complete as of Oct. 9, 2026 |
| Surface upgrades | SFMTA and Public Works | Bus and pedestrian bulb-outs, medians, signals, curb ramps, repaving, trees, sidewalk art | Forecast to start fall 2026, finish early 2028 |
What the 2023 Quick-Build already settled
Most of the street's day-to-day rules came out of the Quick-Build. That work added transit lanes, changed bus stops, optimized transit signals and gave pedestrians more time to cross. It was finished in 2023.
On parking, the SFMTA says almost all permanent changes were made during the Quick-Build. After spaces were added on cross streets, it estimates a net loss of 31 spaces along the corridor. That figure covers permanent spaces only. It says nothing about temporary restrictions during construction, which have not been published.
Bus stops follow the same pattern. The approved plan moved or extended stops at Arguello, 3rd, 6th, Park Presidio, 17th, 20th, 22nd, 23rd, 25th and 28th avenues. The SFMTA lists those as Quick-Build changes made in 2023, not changes still to come.
The agency has also reported results. In a July 2025 SFMTA progress update, it said 38 and 38R travel times fell 6 to 11 percent after the Quick-Build, saving riders an estimated 235 hours a day combined. Among riders who noticed a change, 85 percent said their trip had become more reliable. Those numbers come from that 2025 evaluation and do not measure current service.
The 2023 work used paint, signals and signs. The phase ahead builds the concrete version of the same layout.
What the surface contract actually builds
On July 23, 2026, the Public Works Commission considered awarding the Geary surface upgrades to Esquivel Grading and Paving. The contract is $17,591,275 plus $1,759,127 for contingency. It runs 450 consecutive calendar days, with 45 more held in reserve. The Public Works staff report lists the work as pavement renovation, sewer replacement, environmental work, pedestrian safety improvements, streetlighting and traffic signal upgrades, structural work, landscaping and traffic control, on Geary between 34th Avenue and Stanyan.
The same report describes where this contract sits in the sequence:
"These surface upgrades are sequenced after the underground improvements and are the final construction activity along this corridor."
On the street, that means transit and pedestrian bulb-outs, which extend the sidewalk at bus stops and corners, along with expanded medians, upgraded traffic signals, accessible curb ramps and repaving. The SFMTA puts the full Geary Boulevard Improvement Project at $48 million and expects completion in early 2028. The Public Works report anticipated a notice to proceed in fall 2026 and construction from fall 2026 through winter 2028.
The trees and the sidewalks
The landscaping portion came out of two rounds of neighborhood surveys in April and September 2024. It is also the most specific part of the project. According to the SFMTA's community enhancement page, about 50 trees will go in:
- Median: Coast Live Oak and Monterey Cypress
- Sidewalk: California Buckeye, California Bay Laurel and Primrose Tree
The SFMTA says locations and species have been picked with input from nearby residents, businesses and property owners. It also says it worked to keep trees from blocking storefront signs. More outreach will confirm each spot a few months before planting.
Decorative glass-aggregate concrete will go into the boarding areas at six Rapid stops, inbound and outbound at Park Presidio, 20th Avenue and 25th Avenue. Outbound stops get ocean themes. Inbound stops get greenery and park themes. Honors art students at George Washington High School are creating the designs. The SFMTA says the trees and sidewalk designs will be built with the transit and safety work in late 2026 and 2027.
What nobody has announced yet
As of October 12, 2026, the published materials leave out the details that will matter most on any given block:
- Which segment of Geary gets worked on first
- The actual notice-to-proceed date
- Daily work hours
- The order of lane closures and any temporary parking restrictions
- Any temporary bus stop relocations during construction
The SFMTA says it is "preparing to start construction this fall" and will begin regular updates later this fall. Updates by email or text are available through the project page. The project team can be reached at [email protected] or 415-646-2300.
The storefronts in between
Businesses along Geary keep opening and closing between construction phases. In September, Mission Local's Richmond Buzz column reported that HI NRG had quietly opened its first permanent coffee shop at 5801 Geary on Sept. 16, with a grand opening set for Sept. 23. In August, Mission Local reported that My Tofu House, at 4627 Geary near 11th Avenue, had closed after 25 years. The SF Standard reported in September that Topogato's chocolate shop at 5203 Geary had closed, and that some of its chocolates would still be sold online. None of these reports ties either closure to the street work.
Merchant support will come up again once construction starts. The SFMTA says it will bring back its Geary merchant working group when surface work begins. Earlier support efforts included a Central Richmond Muni advertising campaign and window and tree lighting at 28 businesses. In a Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon piece on September 5, sponsored by the SFPUC, the utility put its work at 80 percent complete and encouraged readers to support local businesses. A month later, the utility work was finished.
For the corridor between Stanyan and 34th Avenue, the next and final contract has a scope list, a tree list, student-designed sidewalks and a schedule that ends in early 2028. The block-by-block construction schedule still hasn't been published.
If you own a home near Geary and want to know how the corridor's next phase might affect its value, Now Homes can help. Our family team has watched Richmond District streets change for decades. Request a free home valuation and we'll walk you through your block with the same attention to detail we bring to every sale.
