Geary Bus Rapid Transit

The more than tens of thousands of daily riders on the 38 Geary need more efficient and reliable transit service. Bus Rapid Transit on Geary will provide those service improvements.

There are many different elements that make up a Bus Rapid Transit system. One of the main features is dedicated bus lanes, which get buses out of congested traffic and reduce delays. New boarding platforms are another part of a Bus Rapid Transit system and make it safer and easier to get on and off the bus. Other features that keep the buses moving, like stop changes and traffic signal adjustments, will save riders even more time. By combining all these elements, we expect bus travel times to be reduced as much as 20 percent upon completion.

The Transportation Authority Board approved the Geary Bus Rapid Transit Project and certified the Final Environmental Impact Report on January 5, 2017. The Federal Transit Administration issued its Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision in the Federal Register on June 1, 2018, representing the project's final environmental approval.  The project later received SF Planning CEQA approval for a side-running version of the Geary Boulevard Improvement Project on July 21, 2023.

While the Geary Bus Rapid Transit has been decades in the making—we're also looking to the future of transportation on the corridor. The project's design allows for the addition of future rail service. The City is currently evaluating longer-term plans for the San Francisco's rail network, including the Geary corridor. That means rail could be installed if funding becomes available. This flexibility makes Geary Bus Rapid Transit a good investment both for the near-term and the future.

Citizens Advisory Committee

The Transportation Authority's Geary Bus Rapid Transit Citizens Advisory Committee, which advised our agency throughout the environmental analysis, has concluded its work on the project.

The SFMTA has formed a new Geary Community Advisory Committee to advise on the design and implementation phases of the project.

Public Feedback during the Environmental Phase: What We Heard and What We Did

Residents, community leaders, advocates and merchants all along the corridor contributed to the design for Geary Bus Rapid Transit.

Their input resulted in:

• Preserving a local bus stop at Collins Street and Rapid stop at Laguna Street
• Safe and efficient transit access for students: Bus-only lanes will extend to 34th Avenue to serve nearby schools
• Keeping the Webster Street bridge: The pedestrian bridge at Webster Street will be preserved with new crossings and medians on either side of the street
• Maintained turns: The project will keep key left turns and all right turns on the corridor
• Adding a dedicated turn lane for access to the Japantown Garage
• Improved safety: The project will make crossing Geary safer with more than 100 sidewalk extensions and bike improvements along key north-south bike routes

San Francisco Planning California Environmental Quality Act Determination (2023)

SF Planning CEQA Statutory Exemption Determination for the Geary Boulevard Improvement Project (between Stanyan Street and 34th Avenue).  This determination was for SFMTA's proposal to implement elements that would include: transit lane between 28th and 15th avenues, relocating 10 bus stops, pedestrian safety improvements, and traffic signal upgrades.

CEQA Statutory Exemption Determination, July 2023 (PDF)

National Environmental Policy Act Re-Evaluation

A NEPA Re-evaluation describes and considers several additional design changes to the first phase of the project, between Market Street and Stanyan Street, made in response to community feedback and additional technical work during SFMTA's final design process. Based on the re-evaluation materials, the Federal Transit Administration found that the design changes are not substantial and would not require further assessment.

Download the NEPA Re-Evaluation (PDF)

Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision (2018)

The Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision represent the final federal environmental review actions under the National Environmental Policy Act.

Complete Final EIS without appendices (PDF)

Record of Decision (PDF)

Environmental Impact Statement Chapters

Cover and Signature page (1.7MB)
Table of Contents (598 KB)

Chapter 1 (1.4 MB)
Chapter 2 (3.4 MB)
Chapter 3.0-3.2 (747 KB)
Chapter 3.3 (1.3 MB)
Chapter 3.4 (2.4 MB)
Chapter 3.5 (1.3 MB)
Chapter 3.6 (745 KB)
Chapter 4.0 (90 KB)
Chapter 4.1 (1.5 MB)
Chapter 4.2 (2.2 MB)
Chapter 4.3 (167 KB)
Chapter 4.4 (3.2 MB)
Chapter 4.5 (2 MB)
Chapter 4.6 (318 KB)
Chapter 4.7 (857 KB)
Chapter 4.8 (1.3 MB)
Chapter 4.9 (597 KB)
Chapter 4.10 (715 KB)
Chapter 4.11(958 KB)
Chapter 4.12 (161 KB)
Chapter 4.13 (249 KB)
Chapter 4.14 (2.1 MB)
Chapter 4.15 (967 KB)
Chapter 4.16 (62 KB)
Chapter 4.17 (49 KB)
Chapter 5.0 (825 KB)
Chapter 6.0 (1.1 MB)
Chapter 7.0 (119 KB)
Chapter 8.0 (392 KB)
Chapter 9.0 (237 KB)
Chapter 10.0 (1.2 MB)
Chapter 11.0 (138 KB)

Appendices

Appendix A (PDF)
Appendix B-E (PDF)
Appendix F-G (PDF)
Appendix H-I (PDF)
Appendix J-L (PDF)
Appendix M-N (PDF)

Final Environmental Impact Report (2017)

Addenda to the Environmental Impact Report

The First Addendum to the Final Environmental Impact Report reflects a modification to the project design between 26th Avenue and 28th Avenue that was approved by the San Francisco County Transportation Authority Board on June 27, 2017, as well as refinements to the planned construction phasing.

The Second Addendum to the Final Environmental Impact Report reflects several additional design changes to the first phase of the project, between Market Street and Stanyan Street, made in response to community feedback and additional technical work during SFMTA's final design process.

Download the Report

Download the complete report (no appendices) in PDF format:

Complete report without appendices (PDF)

Download the report by section:

Cover, signature page, Table of Contents, List of Tables, List of Figures (2.5MB)
Chapter 1: Introduction (215K)
Chapter 2: Alternatives (840K)
Chapter 3: Transportation (789K)
Chapter 4: Affected environment, environmental consequences, and avoidance, minimization and/or mitigation measures (722K)
Chapter 5: Public participation (213K)
Chapter 6: Financial Analysis (214K)

Appendices

Appendix A: Errata Summary (4.2MB)
Appendix B: Response to Comments (25.5MB)
Appendix C: Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (2.5MB)
Appendix D: Plan Drawings of the Build Alternatives (7MB)

Locally Preferred Alternative

Design drawings for the Locally Preferred Alternative including modifications (PDF)