Renewal Program

The Plan proposes $1.3 billion in funding for Public Works renewal needs over the next 10 years, with $908 million coming from the General Fund, as shown in Chart 9.1. SFPUC renewal projects are not represented in this curve.

Chart 9.1
Chart 9.1

The General Fund streets and right-of-way renewal program includes street resurfacing, curb ramp inspection and replacement, median maintenance, plaza inspection and repair, sidewalk inspection and repair, street structure repair, and street tree planting, establishment, and maintenance. 

The PUC’s renewal program includes sewer replacements, pump system rehabilitations, water storage upgrades, technology infrastructure improvements, and many other projects necessary to provide for San Francisco’s water, wastewater, and power needs. As with Enterprise departments covered in other chapters, PUC renewal projects are not included in the Service Area renewal curve. For more information on these projects, please see the narrative descriptions included in the following table.

Project Name Description
PW – Street Resurfacing and Reconstruction

Public Works oversees the maintenance of 865 miles of streets. Without regular resurfacing treatments, a street could end up costing the City four times more over the course of its life cycle. As approved by city officials and voters, Public Works’ goal is to achieve and maintain a Pavement Condition Index score (PCI) of 70. This target will take streets from the “at-risk” to a more cost-effective “good”.

 

The estimated cost to achieve and maintain a PCI of 70 is $816 million over the next 10 years. The Plan recommends fully funding this need, with $693 million coming from the General Fund, and the remainder from a combination of federal, state, and other local sources.

PW – Curb Ramp Inspection and Replacement

Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act requires local entities to develop a transition plan specifically for curb ramps. The City is committed to improving curb ramps and providing accessible paths of travel for people with disabilities. This project complements the installation of new ramps (see the Enhancements section below for additional details) by ensuring sufficient funds for maintaining previously installed ramps.

 

The estimated cost for curb ramp inspection and replacement is $16 million over the next 10 years. Given funding constraints, the Plan allocates $9 million from the General Fund towards this need.

PW – Median Maintenance

As the City converts more paved areas into green space, Public Works needs capacity to maintain these areas to ensure that the investments last and that medians and other landscape spaces are kept in great condition. There are irrigation systems at 67 landscaped medians across the City.

 

The estimated cost for median maintenance is $147 million over the next 10 years. Given funding constraints, the Plan allocates $57 million from the General Fund towards this need, in addition to $50 million expected from the State.

PW – Plaza Inspection and Repair Program

Public Works is responsible for maintaining fourteen plazas throughout the City, including: Blanken Bayshore, Embarcadero, Hallidie, Harvey Milk, Justin Herman, Mechanics, Mendell, Organ, United Nations, Civic Center, Tutubi, McCoppin Hub, Bartlett, and Corbett Community Garden. These plazas require annual inspection to determine the extent of any repairs that may be required.

 

The estimated cost for plaza inspection and repair is $22 million over the next 10 years. Given funding constraints, the Plan allocates $13 million from the General Fund towards this need.

PW – Sidewalk Improvements and Repair Program

Public Works maintains sidewalks in three ways. First, the Bureau of Urban Forestry maintains sidewalks around city-maintained street trees. Second, the Bureau of Street Use & Mapping executes the Sidewalk Inspection and Repair Program; its goal is to inspect and repair every block on a 25-year cycle. Finally, Bureau of Street Mapping also has a reactive program called the Accelerated Sidewalk Abatement Program, which inspects locations based on complaints and issues notices of violation to property owners in order to compel them to repair their dangerous sidewalks.

 

The estimated cost for sidewalk improvements and repair is $37 million over the next 10 years. The Plan fully funds this need, with $14 million coming from the General Fund, and the remainder from the State, and other local sources.

PW – Street Structure Repair

The Capital Plan provides a strategy for the maintenance and renewal of 364 street structures including retaining walls, stairs, bridges, viaducts, tunnels, underpasses and overpasses, plus numerous guardrails throughout the City. Work performed under this program includes general maintenance and major repairs of city street structures to maintain safety, proper operations of moveable bridges, and minimize long-term renewal costs. For this Plan, two major projects in this category include the Islais Creek and 4th Street bridges.

 

The estimated cost for the Islais Creek Bridge project is $45 million, with $5.4 million being funded by the General Fund, and $39 million from a Federal grant. The estimated cost for the 4th Street Bridge project is $22 million, with $2.6 million being funded by the General Fund, and $20 million from a Federal grant.
The estimated cost for other street structure repair is $67 million over the next 10 years. Given funding constraints, the Plan allocates $40 million from the General Fund towards this need.

PW – Street Tree Planting, Establishment, and Maintenance

By FY2018, Public Works will be responsible for maintaining approximately 121,000 street trees. Public Works will have the resources to maintain street trees on an average three-to-five-year cycle, inspect all street trees annually, and make sidewalk repairs on a similar cycle. Additionally, the City anticipates replacing approximately four percent of trees each year as a result of typical tree mortality, disease, or vandalism.

 

The estimated cost for street tree planting, establishment, and maintenance is $250.5 million over the next 10 years. The Plan fully funds this need, with $219.9 million from the General Fund, in addition to $30.6 million expected from State and other local sources.

SFPUC Hetch Hetchy Water and Power – Mountain Tunnel Rehabilitation Project Mountain Tunnel was constructed between 1917 and 1925, and has provided reliable water conveyance for nearly 90 years. Deterioration in the concrete lining of the tunnel has increased in recent decades, and the tunnel is in need of rehabilitation and/or replacement to ensure continued reliability.
SFPUC Hetch Hetchy Water and Power Projects – Power Infrastructure

Many Hetchy Power infrastructure, facilities, and equipment have reached their end of their life expectancy. The Capital Plan provides funding for various generation renewal and replacement projects at the Holm, Kirkwood and Moccasin Powerhouses. These projects include upgrades to the powerhouse protection, control, monitoring systems, equipment replacement and upgrades.

 

The Capital Plan also includes rehabilitation of transmission lines and distribution systems, which consist of reliability projects to address regulatory requirements. Typical projects in this program include replacement of insulators, switches, tower infrastructure, grounding and protection. Distribution system projects include upgrades to distribution lines, dry transformers, distribution substations; disconnect switches, breakers, protection, and metering.

SFPUC Hetch Hetchy Water and Power – Water Infrastructure The San Joaquin Pipelines convey water from the Foothill Tunnel to the Coast Range Tunnel and vary in age from 45 to almost 80 years. Rehabilitation is intended to extend the life of the assets to about 2030 before requiring replacement.
SFPUC Wastewater – Collection System Spot Sewer Repair Project This project provides as-needed contingency-based repairs of existing sewer pipes for a city block or less in length. Current funding levels are projected to repair approximately 700 individual spot sewer locations per fiscal year, to meet the targeted levels of service goals. It is anticipated that this base rate of spot repair will continue for the next several years and would ultimately decrease as the overall program continues to be implemented.
SFPUC Wastewater – Condition Assessment Project There are more than 80 miles of major sewers that have been in service for 100 years or more and are at the end of their useful life. This project will confirm needs and provide recommendations for replacement or rehabilitation of major sewers through the Sewer System Improvement Program.
SFPUC Wastewater – Salt Water Intrusion Salt water corrodes the pipes and concrete of the system. If it reaches the treatment plant in large quantities, it can harm or kill the biological secondary treatment process, cause discharge permit violations and harm receiving water quality. The Salt Water Intrusion projects will reduce salt water intrusion into the sewer system. Projects in this area will consist of sewer pipeline joint sealing work.
SFPUC Wastewater – Sewer Replacement/Improvement Program

Failure of the collection system will reduce the City’s ability to handle and dispose of wastewater and stormwater which can lead to public health, safety and environmental risks and non-compliance with the State of California’s discharge permit. This program maintains the existing functionality of the sewage collection system and includes planned and emergency repairs and replacement of structurally inadequate sewers.


The estimated annual cost for sewer replacement beginning in FY2018 is approximately $60 million and increases to $88 million by FY2027 allowing the renewal and replacement of approximately 15 miles of sewer per year.

SFPUC Wastewater – Treatment Plants This renewal program seeks to extend the useful life of treatment facility assets throughout San Francisco by helping to maintain their treatment capacity, process performance, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
SFPUC Water – Emergency Firefighting Water System

The Emergency Firefighting Water System (EFWS) will increase the safety response capacity of the Fire Department following a major earthquake and during multiple-alarm fires from other causes. This project includes improvements to or expansion of EFWS pipelines, tunnels, and physical plant.

 

For project financial information, please see the Public Safety chapter of this Plan.

SFPUC Water – Local Buildings & Grounds Improvements This project will provide funding for capital improvements at City Distribution Division facilities and structures. Projects in this area include a new fueling station, yard improvements to address health and safety issues and security, a comprehensive arc flash and electrical hazard study and construction of a seismically reliable building for City Distribution Division’s communications and control systems.
SFPUC Water – Local Water Conveyance/Distribution System Currently, 16% of the SFPUC’s 1,230 miles of mains exceed their typical 100-year useful life. This project includes funding to install, replace and renew distribution system pipelines and service connections for drinking water mains in San Francisco and meet customer level of service goals for uninterrupted service. The increased investment is needed to improve annual replacement rate to 15 miles per year to minimize main breaks due to aging infrastructure resulting in fewer service disruptions, property damage and need for emergency repairs.
SFPUC Water – Local Water System Improvement Program (WSIP) Augmentation This project includes a new recycled water treatment facility that will provide irrigation water to Golden Gate Park, Lincoln Park, and the SF Zoo. It includes additional capacity to serve potential future customers such as the Presidio Golf Course.
SFPUC Water – Pump Stations This project provides long-term funding for renewal and rehabilitation of 12 major water pump stations and seven hydropneumatic tanks that boost pressure within the San Francisco distribution system, including the McLaren Park and Bay Bridge pump stations.
SFPUC Water – Regional Buildings & Grounds Programs Sunol Yard improvements include replacement structures with LEED facilities for maintenance shops and equipment storage, new fueling center and administration building, re-surfacing of yard, and demolition of six dilapidated structures. Millbrae Yard improvements include a new administration building to consolidate the Water and Wastewater laboratory, maintenance shop, and equipment storage, demolition of a large unused abandoned building, new parking lot, and new vehicle wash site.
SFPUC Water – Regional Communications & Monitoring Program The objective of this project is to build a microwave radio backbone for communications and security systems, including video surveillance, remote gate locks, and audio monitoring, across the entire SFPUC regional system. This will enhance SFPUC emergency response, security, and regional interoperability.
SFPUC Water – Regional Water Supply & Storage Program The California State Division of Safety of Dams requires upgrades to structures, including geotechnical work and installation of monitoring systems. The automated data acquisition system, part of the monitoring system, will provide timely, accurate data related to inspections at various dams.
SFPUC Water – Regional Water Treatment Program In addition to maintaining compliance with permits, improvements to regional treatment plants are expected to achieve higher levels of reliable performance for extended periods.
SFPUC Water – Regional Water Transmission Program

This program will provide upgrades to the Transmission System including pipeline inspection and repairs, valve replacements, metering upgrades, corrosion protection to extend the useful life of the pipelines, pump station upgrades and vault upgrades.

 

Included is $157 million funding for Pipeline Improvement Program over the next 10 years to replace or slip-line up to 10 miles of pipelines in densely populated areas to improve operational reliability and reduce liability.

SFPUC Water – Regional Watersheds & Land Management This program supports projects that improve and protect the water quality and ecological resources impacted by the siting and operation of PUC facilities. These projects include the repair, replacement, maintenance, or construction of roads, fences, or trails, the acquisition of easements and/or fee title of properties, and other ecosystem restoration or public access, recreation, and education projects.
SFPUC Water – Regional Water System Improvement Program (WSIP) Augmentation Additional funding at Calaveras Dam and the Alameda Creek Diversion Dam is needed for unanticipated subsurface conditions and localized slope stability which will result in increases in rock support, shotcrete, and shale disposal work. The revised baseline schedule will still allow the dam embankment to be complete by fall 2018, which will allow filling of the reservoir to begin in the fall/winter 2018-19 as planned.
SFPUC Water – System Monitoring and Control The System Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) provides remote monitoring of pressure, flow, and valve position status at key locations throughout the distribution system. This project provides improvements to SCADA and to facilities that control and monitor San Francisco’s water distribution system. This program will also install fiber optic communications to critical facilities and security installations not completed under WSIP.
SFPUC Water – Water Storage Facilities The PUC maintains 10 major water storage reservoirs and six storage tanks that range in age from 50 to 120 years old. The College Hill Reservoir supplies much of the eastern and northern areas of San Francisco, including Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, the City’s trauma center. This project provides long-term funding for the renewal and rehabilitation of these reservoirs and tanks. Planning evaluation and geotechnical review were conducted and recommend that the outlet structure be replaced with a new 48-inch diameter steel pipeline with outlet valve facilities.

back to top