Photo by SFMTA Photography Department
The SFMTA and SF Public Works have completed construction of a new boarding island for M Ocean View Muni riders at San Jose and Geneva Avenues, as studied previously in numerous efforts including the SFMTA’s Balboa Park Station Capacity and Conceptual Engineering Study and SFCTA’s Balboa Park Circulation Study. The new boarding island is expected to help traffic calm this busy intersection which is currently on the Vision Zero High-Injury Network.
The M Ocean View boarding island addresses a major safety priority as previously riders had to step off the train directly onto the street. The project is one of the first quick-build elements of the M Ocean View Transit and Safety Project which focuses on improvements on the M Ocean View between Junipero Serra Boulevard and Balboa Park BART Station.
During construction, SF Public Works successfully utilized a new approach to deliver the boarding island while maintaining M Ocean View revenue service and avoiding disruption to passengers and transit operations.
The Transportation Authority has allocated or programmed significant planning, design and construction funds to support this improvement and other safety and access upgrades in the Balboa Park station area, including contributing $150,000 from the Neighborhood Program for conceptual design of safety and transit access improvements at the terminus of the M Ocean View.
The Transportation Authority also allocated $1 million of Prop AA vehicle registration fee funds for the design phase for the larger M Ocean View project that includes various enhancements throughout the corridor, such as transit stop placement optimization, traffic signals, pedestrian improvements, and other upgrades that seek to enhance safety, service efficiency, and the rider experience. Finally, the Transportation Authority has programmed a further $1.5 million to construct these improvements once they are ready for implementation.
The M Ocean View project is part of the Muni Forward program, adding more quick-build improvements in 2025 which were approved by the SFMTA Board of Directors last year following two years of community outreach. The Muni Forward program has delivered over 100 miles of transit improvements in San Francisco over the past 10 years, making Muni faster and more reliable while also improving safety for people walking along transit corridors.
The SFMTA will begin full capital construction of the M Ocean View improvement project in mid-2026.