Forty-two trees were to be planted on the side walls and median strip from Broadway to Hyde Street with four planter trees on the Hyde Street overpass at the cable car stop. This project would have transformed the barren concrete hole that is the Broadway Tunnel into a beautiful, tree-lined entry through Russian Hill to North Beach, Chinatown, and the City beyond.
GOOD NEWS!
Thanks to all of you who sent postcards to the Mayor. More than 310 yellow postcards were received! Because of your support, funds from the new budget have been allocated to our project.
The Department of Public Works has notified RHN that it has $100,000 in its budget to begin work. They will start with the four planters and pavers on the Hyde Street overpass. RHN will update members on the progress in future e-mails.
In the meantime, we need to think about fund raising for other areas, such as greening the wide sidewalk on the southwest corner of Broadway and Larkin Streets. Because of the current budget situation, doing the work in stages is how we are going to get the project completed.
We also plan to apply for grants. And, we can all solicit donations! Please let us know if you know of any corporate sponsors or donors.
The Original Project:
Greening the Broadway Tunnel-West was a $660k DPW project. The City awarded us $325k, but the funds were retracted because of major budget cuts. Some of that money has now been restored (see above).
Greening: ($299k) — planting twenty-eight trees up the sides of Broadway (just outside of and rising with the tunnel retaining walls), four planter trees on the pedestrian bridge, and fourteen trees in the median strip.
Cable Car Square on Hyde Street ($174k) — A pedestrian pathway will lead from the SE corner of Broadway and Larkin (starting at Helen Wills Park) to an attractive square at the Hyde Street Cable Car stop. The pathway and square would be demarcated by special paving.
Traditional Ornamental Street Lamps ($187k) — will help demarcate Broadway as an historic, grand boulevard.
Donations can be made through PayPal or sent to RHN at the following address:
Judy Junghans
RUSSIAN HILL NEIGHBORS
1819 Polk St. #221
San Francisco, CA 94109
Phone 415-267-0575
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