Wednesday San Francisco News Roundup

By sf-admin • 9 years ago • News

Pit Bull Shot By U.S. Mint Police Will Likely Need Leg Amputated

A pit bull’s leg will likely be amputated after the dog allegedly attacked a U.S. Mint employee and two other people outside the Mint building in San Francisco and was shot by federal police.

The dog, named Blue, apparently escaped from its home near the coin factory at 155 Hermann St. along with another pit bull named Luna and attacked a Mint employee as she was walking to work at about 6 a.m., U.S. Mint and San Francisco Animal Care and Control officials said.

The employee fended the dog off with her cane and screamed. A U.S. Mint police officer who was driving by heard her scream and stopped, U.S. Mint spokesman Tom Jurkowsky said.

The dog then attacked a homeless man and a jogger running by.

Jurkowsky did not know if the two people were injured.

After that, the dog ran toward the officer, who felt threatened, drew his gun and fired. He hit the dog in the leg, Jurkowsky said.

The dog ran away after being shot and found its way home.

San Francisco Animal Care and Control officials took custody of the two dogs there at the request of San Francisco police. The gunshot to Blue’s right leg shattered it, likely requiring amputation, Animal Care spokeswoman Deb Campbell said.

The dog’s owner will need to refer Animal Care to a veterinarian to treat the dog. After that, whether the owner can get the dog back and under what conditions will depend on the outcome of the San Francisco police investigation and possibly a hearing to determine whether the dog is vicious and dangerous, Campbell said.

San Francisco police and the U.S. Mint are conducting separate investigations into the shooting, Jurkowsky said. San Francisco police spokesman Officer Albie Esparza referred all questions about the incident to the U.S. Mint in Washington, D.C.

Buses Will Shuttle BART Passengers During Closures of Transbay Tube For Repairs

Nearly 100 buses will continuously shuttle passengers between 19th Street BART station in Oakland and San Francisco’s Temporary Transbay Terminal during two weekends of suspended BART service through the Transbay Tube in the coming months.

With the exception of the West Oakland BART station, all BART stations will remain open during the first weekends in August and September, while the Transbay Tube is closed.

Transbay BART riders will need to transfer to a bus bridge that will be in place while crews conduct work inside the tube.

The last time the BART system closed for an extended period was during the BART strike in 2013, sending a huge and unexpected influx of vehicles to the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, said Sean Nozzari, Caltrans deputy district director of traffic operations.

Nozzari said the 2013 strike didn’t allow for Caltrans and public transportation agencies to plan ahead, but this time extensive planning is underway to ensure that bridge traffic keeps moving and BART passengers can get to their destinations.

But Nozzari said the influx of bridge traffic is expected to be significant, especially over the Labor Day weekend. He’s encouraging people to refrain from taking non-essential trips across the Bay Bridge the weekend of August 1-2 or September 5-7.

Nozzari said that while BART crews work in the tube, Caltrans employees will be closely monitoring the traffic situation on the bridge via cameras and will use metering lights and bus-only ramps to keep traffic moving.

Last year, almost 200,000 people depended on BART over the Labor Day weekend.

Nozzari said roughly 15,000 to 20,000 additional vehicles are expected to take to the bridge each day of the closure.

Beginning on Saturday, August 1 at 6 a.m. going until 1 a.m. on Monday, August 3, and then again on Saturday, September 5 at 6 a.m. until 1 a.m. on Tuesday, September 8, Caltrans will transform Essex Street ramps in San Francisco and Grand Avenue ramps in Oakland into bus-only ramps.

Nozzari said 94 buses will be in place during the weekend closures to shuttle riders between Oakland’s 19th Street BART station and the Temporary Transbay Terminal via the Bay Bridge.

Bob Franklin, BART’s department manager of customer access and accessibility, said even those who plan to take buses across the Bay Bridge should plan for about an hour delay.

As far as the schedule, Franklin said the buses will leave “every 45 seconds” or as soon as they fill up.

Those hoping to avoid the bridge altogether should consider taking a ferry via San Francisco Bay Ferry, which will have increased service between San Francisco and the East Bay.

Franklin said that other than planning for additional travel time, transbay BART riders should just ride BART as they usually would and then follow the signs and guides to their connecting bus.

“Just take BART and we will direct you,” Franklin said.

In San Francisco, BART riders at Embarcadero station will be guided, or shuttled via San Francisco Municipal buses if they prefer, to and from the Temporary Transbay Terminal two blocks away, at Howard and Main streets.

In Oakland, the buses will arrive and depart from the 19th Street BART station, Franklin said.

There will be no additional charge for the bus and a bus shuttle will also be set up to bring riders from the closed West Oakland BART station to the 19th Street BART station.

During the closures, BART train service in both the East Bay and the West Bay is expected to be more frequent than during a typical weekend.

The exact cost of the closure for BART is estimated at $2 million, which will come out of BART’s operating budget, but agreements are still being ironed out. The exact cost is to be determined, according to Franklin.

BART spokesman Jim Allison said that although the closure will be an inconvenience to riders, it will allow BART crews to conduct critical track repair that can’t be done during the overnight hours.

The .46-mile section of track, known as the interlocking, will receive a complete rebuild that will allow for single tracking of trains in alternate directions.

The maintenance will allow for increased use of the crossover at normal speed and allow greater flexibility during service disruptions.

It also has the added benefit of resulting in a smoother, quieter ride for passengers, Allison said.

Crews will replace 932 rail ties and roughly 2,400 feet of rail.

Other tasks such as inspection of tracks and traction power cables, cleaning of the third rail insulators, and servicing of equipment will also be conducted, Allison said.

In a passenger bulletin from BART, customers were informed that the vital repairs are part of the “Building a Better BART” program and will ensure safer and more reliable service.

MUNI Subway Service to Shut Down Early through End of Year For Communications Upgrade Project

Downtown subway service on all light-rail lines will shut down early every night from Friday July 31 until January 2016 to allow for upgrades to radio and emergency communications systems, according to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.

Subway service will shut down nightly from 10 p.m. until the start of service in the Tuesday between Embarcadero and St. Francis Circle for the K/T, L and M lines, between Church and Duboce and the Caltrain Depot for the N Line and between Mission Rock and Embarcadero for the T Line.

Service at some stations could end as early as 9:30 p.m. to make sure the tunnel is clear by 10 p.m., Muni officials said.

Light-rail trains will continue to operate at stops outside the affected area, but passengers traveling within the affected areas will need to transfer to bus shuttles. Shuttles will operate approximately every eight minutes from 9:30 p.m. until the end of service each night.

The shutdown will allow Muni to replace 90 old emergency telephones in the subway tunnel with 181 new ones using a more dependable system, and upgrade the analog radio system to digital.

The new radio system will expand the number of communication channels from 11 to 26 and expand the audio and visual “next stop” announcements provided in the subway and on light-rail vehicles. In addition, it will provide better data and reporting for performance analysis and incident management, according to Muni.

Shuttles will stop at F-line streetcar stops on Market Street next to subway stations, and will be marked with signs, officials said.

Inbound J-Church passengers can transfer at Church and Market streets, while inbound N-Judah passengers will disembark at Church and Duboce and then need to walk one block to Market Street.

The inbound K-Ingleside will end at St. Francis Circle, while the inbound M-Ocean View will become the outbound L-Taraval and serve the outbound L-Taraval stops beyond West Portal. Inbound L-Taraval trains will turn into the outbound M-Ocean View line at West Portal.

The T-Third Street line will switch back at Embarcadero Station except between Aug. 17-24 and Aug. 31- Sept. 10, when it will end at Folsom Street.

Following the completion of the radio and emergency phone upgrades, Muni plans to start work on a track replacement and upgrade project in the Twin Peaks tunnel between Castro and West Portal stations.

Service changes related to that project will be announced closer to the start of construction, Muni spokesman Paul Rose said Tuesday.

For more information on the Muni Subway System upgrades and
service changes, go to
https://www.sfmta.com/projects-planning/projects/muni-subway-system-upgrades.