A Digital Journal - San Francisco Public Works
In the Works
August 2025
For nearly a century, the Third Street Bridge over Mission Creek Channel has served as a workhorse drawbridge connecting the South of Market and Mission Bay neighborhoods. To keep the historic structure operating smoothly, Public Works stationary engineers perform regular maintenance work, including applying grease to the rack and pinion system that lifts the moveable span.
The Third Street Bridge when it opened in 1933 and today.
Jan. 8, 1900, was the day the City of San Francisco officially marked the beginning of the San Francisco Board of Public Works through legislation that would usher in an era of cleaner streets and safer infrastructure for the residents of the City.
Today, we're known as San Francisco Public Works and we continue to provide many of the same programs and services that we did 125 years ago – while facing many of the same challenges.
Take a trip through our history with many rare images from early in the 20th century, which trace the development of Public Works and the City of San Francisco.
FEATURE STORIES
Construction Kicks Off
at New India Basin Park
Government officials and community leaders with gold-colored shovels in hand joined together this month to ceremoniously break ground on the renovation of India Basin Shoreline Park – an ambitious project that reimagines 7.5 acres of waterfront open space in San Francisco’s Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood.
Summer in the City
Summer in San Francisco brought a packed lineup of concerts – from Dead and Company to Outside Lands – drawing tens of thousands of people to the City’s parks. Our crews ensured surrounding streets and sidewalks stayed clean and accessible, supported sister agencies and stepped up operations to keep the City shining.
Stationary engineer Jorge Garcia, tethered to the bridge with a safety harness, works the greasing operation.
BridgE
The SqueakY
GETS THE GREASE
Climbing high atop the Third Street drawbridge earlier this month, Public Works stationary engineers wielding grease guns meticulously lubricated a series of gears and other moving parts on the historic span above Mission Creek Channel.
Stationary engineers Dean Tolosa (left) and John La Monte make sure all the moving parts are kept lubricated for a smooth operation.
“If you don’t grease the bridge,” said John La Monte, a stationary engineer working the special operation for the past 18 years, “it would start to groan and rust.”
The original rack and pinion system from 1933 is still in use today.
Opened in 1933 during the height of the Great Depression, the Third Street Bridge relies on the original steel rack and pinion system to lift the span.
Each side of the bridge has one gear 5 feet in diameter and one 2 feet in diameter, which are key to the lifting mechanism. Some 200 feet long and 86 feet tall, the bridge’s lift span weighs approximately 700 tons.
Stationary engineers John La Monte (left) and Dean Tolosa add grease to the gears.
“They really knew what they were doing,” La Monte said.
He and his co-workers, Jorge Garcia and Dean Tolosa, spent two days in early August applying grease to the bridge. They use super-heavy moly grease – the favored substance to protect rust-prone materials against the ravages of saltwater.
Stationary engineer Jorge Garcia inspects his work.
Years ago, when La Monte first started his bridge-maintenance duties, he and the team used manual pump guns that had to be prepped by hand before each squirt of grease. “By the end of the day, our muscles ached,” he said. Now their work is made easier with the use of battery-powered grease guns.
Stationary engineer Dean Tolosa brings the term “elbow grease” to life.
As caretaker of the Third Street Bridge, also known as the Lefty O’Doul Bridge and now a designated San Francisco landmark, Public Works performs regular maintenance work. The greasing operation takes place after every 75 lifts of the drawbridge, typically twice a year.
Built during the Great Depression, the Third Street Bridge is a designated City landmark.
BY THE NUM83R5
PUBLIC WORKS
2025 -YEAR TO DATE (through end of July 2025)
7,192
POTHOLES
FILLED
5,429
TREES
PRUNED
785
CURB RAMPS
CONSTRUCTED
303
NUMBER OF BLOCKS RESURFACED
12,996
TONS OF DEBRIS COLLECTED
Rendering of the new India Basin Waterfront Park, as viewed from the Bay. (Image courtesy of the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department.)
Construction Kicks Off
at New India Basin Park
Government officials and community leaders with gold-colored shovels in hand joined together this month to ceremoniously break ground on the renovation of India Basin Shoreline Park – an ambitious project that reimagines 7.5 acres of waterfront open space in San Francisco’s Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood.
Now the real work gets underway on the complex construction project managed by Public Works. The effort represents the final phase of a series of improvements to transform the India Basin waterfront into one of the most significant new park initiatives in the history of San Francisco.
Once complete, the new park will close a gap in the San Francisco Bay Trail, creating 1.7 miles of contiguous access to San Francisco’s southeastern waterfront.
But before the ribbon-cutting celebration is held – expected about three years from now when construction is scheduled to wrap up – there’s a lot of highly technical and labor-intensive work to do.
Crews, for example, will undertake a major earth-moving operation, handling approximately 37,000 cubic yards of soil – enough to cover about 11 football fields.
Construction drawing details the soil work for the new park project.
They also will be building a temporary dam, known as a cofferdam, to allow work to take place in an area of the Bay that otherwise would be submerged. To create the cofferdam, crews will guide piles into the Bay to outline and support the structure. Next, they will install sheet piles, interlocking them between the guide piles to create a watertight barrier. Additional struts or braces are added to support the sheet piles and prevent collapse when the water is pumped out.
The cofferdam will allow us to install two concrete walls that lead into the Bay, as well as a new gravel shore that fits in between. A new boathouse, pier, gangway and floating dock will be installed from both the land and by barge or boat from the water.
The work requires extra care to protect a historic shipwreck that visitors can view from the park.
The parkland sits on 1950s-era Bay-fill mud, which presents significant geotechnical challenges due to the unstable condition. To address this, the park project will be implementing two soil stabilization methods: “deep-soil mixing” and “soil surcharging.”
“These methods will enhance the stability of the soil, providing essential support for the new structures,” said Public Works engineer Marc Macaraeg, the project’s construction manager.
Soil surcharging requires crews to install wick drains at regular intervals to designated depths over a specified area. Then, depending on the conditions, different amounts of soil are placed atop the area to essentially squeeze the underlying soil, while allowing for groundwater to escape through the wick drains. The soil for the surcharge operation is then removed to allow for construction to resume at the compacted area.
Construction drawing shows how soil can be used to stabilize the landfill.
Deep-soil mixing entails combining extra soil with a soil binder to improve stability. And a new gravel beach also will be constructed to improve the stability and integrity of the shoreline.
The project also calls for the removal of an old Pacific, Gas & Electric Co. transmission tower that currently sits within the footprint of the new park. Once removed, the tower pit will be filled and topped with a fresh layer of clean soil.
Throughout construction, the project team will perform vibratory monitoring, marine mammal monitoring, biological monitoring, air monitoring and other environmental assessments to ensure protection of the marine habitat, the historic structures and the neighborhood, Macaraeg said. In addition to construction management, Public Works is providing regulatory affairs and site assessment and remediation services. Clark Construction Group is the general contractor.
The new India Basin Shoreline Park in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood is a complete redo of the original park, built in the 1990s. It will include restored natural habitats, improved accessibility and a multitude of features to serve neighborhood residents and visitors. Among them: a great lawn leading to the new beach, a boathouse, pier and dock for water access, a renovated playground and fitness equipment, two basketball courts with stadium seating and new lighting, landscaping and seating.
The project will connect to the recently opened neighboring park at 900 Innes Ave. to create a contiguous 10-acre shoreline park, known as India Basin Waterfront Park. The project sponsors include the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, which runs the City’s park system; A. Philip Randolph Institute; Trust for Public Land; and San Francisco Foundation. The Bayview-Hunters Point community developed the vision for the park over many years.
“With this project, we are uniting waterfront land with a park that was underused, turning it into 10 acres of vibrant public space and cleaning up environmental contamination – all while creating local jobs along the way,” said Mayor Daniel Lurie, who joined dozens of community leaders, elected officials, construction crews and other celebrants at the Aug. 19 ground-breaking event.
“India Basin Waterfront Park will not only connect our community to the shoreline, it will reflect our culture, create local jobs, and provide safe, accessible spaces for our families to gather, play and thrive,” said District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton. “This is the result of years of community leadership and advocacy, and I am proud to stand with our neighbors as we deliver on a promise that’s been decades in the making.”
The project’s construction complexities are both challenging and intriguing, from the in-water work to building on fill, said Public Works senior construction manager Simon Yeung, part of the project delivery team.
“This is an exciting undertaking,” he said, “and we’re glad to be part of it.”
A newly installed plaque on a Folsom Street sidewalk marks historically significant spots in the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District.
A Walk Through History with New Sidewalk PlaqueS
As customers filtered in and out of a coffee shop for an early jolt of energy on a recent August morning and bicyclists navigated past a construction site on Folsom Street, a handful of workers – clad in hard hats and safety vests – set out to cement the legacy of a community that has left an indelible mark on the South of Market.
Armed with shovels and trowels, crews carefully placed a wrapped, bronze plaque in the center of a freshly laid heap of viscous concrete, diligently sculpting and smoothing the grainy, gray mixture before it hardened.
Crews install a new commemorative plaque along the sidewalk on Folsom Street.
The 18-by-18-inch plaque marks the spot at 1250 Folsom St. where the National Leather Association International Headquarters was located from 1993 to 1995. It's the first of 16 commemorative plaques to be installed in the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District – which covers parts of SoMa – in conjunction with the City’s broader makeover of the Folsom Street corridor.
The plaques – which are being installed with the help of Public Works’ new Love Our Neighborhoods program – aim to spotlight the leather and LGBTQ community’s longstanding connection to and deep roots within SoMa, denoting the locations of historically significant bars, businesses and institutions.
Commemorative plaques spotlighting different communities, causes and events can be found in other neighborhoods in San Francisco, for example, the Rainbow Honor Walk in the Castro and the Little Italy Honor Walk in North Beach.
“The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District is excited to finally see the first of our sidewalk plaques get installed,” Bob Goldfarb, executive director of the district, said in an email. “The leather and LGBTQ communities are an integral part of the fabric of San Francisco. The plaques commemorate the locations that were our foundations in SoMa starting in the 1960s and are symbols of resilience and visibility.”
Leather culture in communities, such as LGBTQ, refers to a set of practices, values and aesthetics centered around leather as both a material and a symbol of identity, self-expression and chosen family, Goldfarb said.
The district is bounded by Howard Street, Seventh Street, Highway 101 and Interstate 80, and also includes Harrison Street, from Seventh Street to Fifth Street, and the area bounded by Harrison Street, Fifth Street, Sixth Street and Bryant Street.
A 2021 Board of Supervisors resolution establishing the commemorative plaques recounts the close ties between the area and the leather community: “By the late 1960s Folsom Street had already acquired the nickname of ‘The Miracle Mile’ in maps and travel guides of San Francisco, codifying a leather character that expanded dramatically throughout the 1970s, such that by 1980 there were at least forty South of Market bars, baths, shops, and restaurants serving the leather population, and the area had the largest and most dense concentration of leather institutions anywhere in the world.”
The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District, which covers parts of SoMa, was created in 2018.
To Goldfarb and the district, the plaques – which eventually are expected to total more than 70 – are not just historical markers: They “show the resilience of our community to resist the pressures that reduced the number of leather & LGBTQ businesses in SoMa from 44 in 1980 to the current 14,” he said.
“Yet, we are still here and rebuilding the businesses and institutions that have made SoMa a world-wide destination for decades,” Goldfarb added. “To see the plaques installed after six years of effort with the support of numerous City agencies and elected officials is a powerful symbol of support and recognition of communities that are frequently marginalized. This is another feature that makes us proud to call San Francisco and the SoMa neighborhood our home.”
A worker peels protective wrapping off a newly installed plaque on Folsom Street.
Folsom upgrades to enhance biking, walking, transit use along the corridor
Beyond the plaque installations, the Folsom Streetscape Project promises to bring a slew of much-needed improvements to a busy corridor that connects downtown neighborhoods to the South of Market and the nearby freeways.
The project – which covers Folsom Street, from Second Street to 11th Street – will include a new two-way bicycle lane with protective medians along most of it; a new bus-only lane for more efficient public transit; new traffic signals; raised crosswalks, street lighting and bulb-outs to keep pedestrians safe; upgrades to aging sewer infrastructure; and improvements to the Emergency Firefighting Water System. On top of that, crews will repave that stretch of Folsom Street, work on overhead wiring for the buses and add new trees, landscaping and benches.
Construction crews, using an excavator, work on the Folsom Streetscape Project.
Many people living within the project area don’t necessarily own a car, said Public Works Project Manager Carol Huang, who is helping oversee the work on Folsom Street. That means improving the bicycle and public transit infrastructure, as well as enhancing pedestrian safety, is especially important.
“I think the whole point is: How to make Folsom, especially between Second to 11th, more walking friendly and then how do we activate the space so that we can welcome more people (to the area),” Huang said.
In addition to working with the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District on plaque installations, Public Works is teaming up with two more community groups – the SOMA Pilipinas Filipino Cultural Heritage District and Yerba Buena Partnership – on placemaking elements, including decorative crosswalks.
Crews work on the sidewalk along Folsom Street as part of a revamp of the corridor.
“We specifically work with each of the community groups to come up with a unique design for each of the focus areas,” Huang said.
Public Works designed the project and is providing project management, construction management, engineering, public affairs, materials testing and regulatory affairs services.
The department is partnering with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission on the work. The Office of Economic and Workforce Development also is involved in outreach to local businesses. “We’re collaborating very closely with the sister agencies,” Huang said.
Construction kicked off in May 2024 and is expected to be completed in fall 2026.
The Folsom Street revamp – with a footprint that overlaps districts for three distinct community groups – represents an exciting opportunity for the corridor, Huang said.
“Not every single project is unique to a point that we can break it into three segments,” she said,” that we can do different things in different segments for the community.”
Public Works project managers Ruby Yu (left) and Carol Huang reveal a newly installed plaque.
Crowds pack the historic Sigmund Stern Grove for the annual Stern Grove Festival.
Summer
in the city
Summer in San Francisco means chilly weather, packed cable cars and open-air concerts.
And this season of music in the City has proven especially busy.
Earlier this month, tie-dye wearing Deadheads streamed into Golden Gate Park for three days of tunes by the Dead and Company. Soon after, superstar performers, including Doja Cat, Vampire Weekend and Ludacris, put on a show in San Francisco’s largest park during the Outside Lands festival. The following week country music singer-songwriter sensation Zach Bryan headlined an afternoon concert there. And throughout the summer, the annual Stern Grove Festival drew crowds to historic Sigmund Stern Grove in the City’s Parkside neighborhood.
And while Public Works doesn't clean inside the parks – since those are the jurisdiction of the Recreation and Park Department – we do make sure the surrounding streets and sidewalks are cleaned promptly, especially with tens of thousands of people swarming the areas.
Outside Lands brought tens of thousands of music lovers to Golden Gate Park.
Public Works crews also frequently step in to aid sister departments. At one of the Dead and Company shows, for instance, our staff helped confiscate a large number of metal tanks that authorities suspected were filled with nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas.
The gas is commonly used as an anesthetic in dentistry and surgery, but it is also often inhaled by concertgoers for its euphoric and hallucinogenic effects. And while it’s approved for medical use, it is criminalized for recreational purposes because overuse can cause suffocation and death.
Officials confiscated metal tanks and put them in the back of a truck.
After the tanks were confiscated, park rangers and police worked with the Department of Public Health to dispose of them properly.
Special event operations are not new to Public Works – think the Pride and Chinese New Year parades, Bay to Breakers and occasional sports team victory celebrations. The string of summer music shows is no different.
We bring on extra cleaning crews and street inspectors to stay on top of the impacts that result from large crowds. We’re happy to do our part as San Francisco’s post-pandemic comeback gains traction.
Volunteers and Public Works crews plant new street trees on the 2900 block of Mission Street.
#LoveOurCity
Volunteers – a force more than 50 strong – planted street trees, mulched a schoolyard garden and wiped out graffiti in the Mission and Bernal Heights during this month’s Love Our City: Neighborhood Beautification Day event.
Working alongside Public Works’ staff, the civic-minded community members spent the morning of Aug. 9 using their goodwill, time and muscle power to beautify District 9 neighborhoods.
Once a month, January through November, Public Works hosts a workday focused on a different supervisorial district, bringing people together not just to green and clean the neighborhoods, but also to build community.
Volunteers paint out graffiti at 23rd and Mission streets.
Next month, we’ll be in Pacific Heights, the Fillmore and other District 2 neighborhoods on Saturday, Sept. 6. The kickoff is at 9 a.m. at the Raoul Wallenberg High School campus, 299 Anzavista Ave. We hope to see you there!
Want to participate? Sign up here.
