Annual Great Highway Sand Relocation Project Starts Monday, June 22

For immediate release: June 18, 2020

Contact: Rachel Gordon, rachel.gordon@sfdpw.org

 

 

San Francisco, CA – Starting Monday, June 22, 2020, San Francisco Public Works will begin the annual sand maintenance activities along the Great Highway.

 

A contractor will redistribute approximately 16,000 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.

 

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. Crews will be in the area Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., for up to seven days.

 

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.

 

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.

 

Public Works has hired Yerba Buena Engineering & Construction, Inc. to perform this work.

 

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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