This story is archived. Visit bart.gov/news for the latest BART news.

SF Downtown Escalators Closed for Replacement Starting July 2020

Updated 7/7: New dates under Upcoming Activities

The Market Street Escalator Project was awarded and began in mid-2019. Escalator units are being fabricated off site and upon delivery, crews will work to install the first three of 41 total new units at Powell Street and Civic Center/UN Plaza stations.

BART entrances will remain open and accessible to riders during escalator installations. Our Market Street Escalator Project is working closely with our Market Street Canopy Project to synchronize construction timelines. A street-level escalator may only be installed once a canopy has been constructed. 

The first installation of new escalators will be at the following locations:  

  1. Powell St. Station – Street-level at 4th & Market & Ellis Street (north side under the existing canopy)
  2. Civic Center Station – Street-level at 7th & Market near corner CVS Store (south side under the existing canopy) 
  3. Powell St. Station – Platform-level escalator inside station at the west end near Westfield Shopping Center

Upcoming Activities:

On July 20 the contractor will install three barricades which will be used for storage areas on the concourse level, inside Powell & Civic Center stations. The 3 escalators listed above will remain in service at this time, and pedestrian traffic inside the station will not be affected. 

Once the storage areas are installed and materials arrive, the contractor will take the first three escalators out of service and start installation of barricades around these escalators: 

  •  Powell St. at 4th & Market – July 27 (approximate)
  •  Powell St. platform escalator – July 30 (approximate)
  •  Civic Center at 7th & Market – August 3 (approximate)

These escalators will remain out of service for 6 months while the contractor works to install the new escalator units. 

We will need to close the Powell St. Station entrance for two weekends later in Summer 2020 to safely move the new escalators in place. We will notify neighbors and riders prior to the temporary weekend closures. Thank you for your patience as we work to complete this important project. 

For more project information and updates please visit bart.gov/about/planning/sfentrances