Annual Great Highway Sand Relocation Work Continues into Saturday
For immediate release: June 26, 2020
Contact: Rachel Gordon, rachel.gordon@sfdpw.org
ANNUAL GREAT HIGHWAY SAND RELOCATION WORK CONTINUES INTO SATURDAY
San Francisco, CA – The City’s annual Great Highway Sand Relocation Project is scheduled to wrap up on June 30, as previously announced. However, due to an unusually large accumulation of sand this year, San Francisco Public Works has authorized the contractor to extend the work week into Saturday, June 27, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The project, which began June 22, calls for the contractor, Yerba Buena Engineering & Construction, Inc., to redistribute approximately 18,000 cubic yards of sand, moving it from the side of the roadway toward the ocean. The aim is to reduce the likelihood of sand buildup on the Great Highway during windy weather.
In addition to the removal of sand at the seawall between Noriega Street and Santiago Street, the project will address the sand accumulation at Judah Street.
Traffic lanes in both directions of the Great Highway already have been closed and used as a promenade for pedestrians and cyclists during the City’s Shelter-in-Place Order. However, Public Works is asking that people avoid using the southbound lanes during the sand relocation project to avoid the earth-moving equipment used for the operation. Initially, the work was to take place only on weekdays, but the addition of an extra day on Saturday is needed to complete the job on time.
Public Works has a small window to perform the annual work; it must be timed to make sure crews do not disturb the Snowy Western Plover, a small shorebird that is protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The plovers can be found at Ocean Beach about 10 months out of the year but take off in the spring or early summer to nest in other coastal areas and inland salt flats.
Monitors with the federal Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) have confirmed that the plovers have left Ocean Beach and that it is safe to begin relocating the sand.
The work is being done in coordination with the GGNRA and under a special-use permit for activities that occur on federal parklands.
About San Francisco Public Works: The 24/7 City agency cleans and resurfaces streets; plants and nurtures City-maintained street trees; designs, constructs and maintains City-owned facilities; inspects streets and sidewalks; builds curb ramps; eradicates graffiti; partners with neighborhoods; trains people for jobs; greens the right of way; and educates our communities.
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San Francisco Public Works
49 South Van Ness Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94103
San Francisco, CA 94103
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