Folsom Street Is Almost Finished. What Changes For Your Everyday SoMa Routine?

When the last cones come off Folsom Street this fall, which street will you get back? Crews started on the stretch from 11th Street to Second Street in May 2024 under a contract set at two years and seven months, or 950 days. Some businesses closed during that time and others reopened. A corporate event space became a nightclub. A party that the business district started to soften the construction became the busiest monthly event on the block. And the city redrew its curb plan around the businesses that are open now.

The new pavement is the obvious change. The bigger one is that the corridor is getting a new curb, a new mix of businesses, and an event calendar that all took shape during construction.

What's Still On The Punch List

Public Works said in its September 24, 2026 update that Folsom is "in the final stages of construction." Resurfacing is done from 2nd to 11th. So are the benches, 15 commemorative plaques, and the transit boarding islands between 6th and 9th. Thirty-two trees are in the ground, and the last one is going in at 880 Folsom. Here is what that update listed as still to come:

The crosswalk work starts tomorrow. Once the new signals between 2nd and 5th are running, the old signal poles come out and the sidewalks get patched. On the eastern blocks, the last visible construction will be sidewalk repair, not lane closures.

The Curb Is Being Rewritten For The Businesses Here Now

Folsom is staying one-way eastbound for cars. The two-way part is the protected bikeway from 2nd to 11th. The design takes out one or two eastbound vehicle lanes and adds a transit-only lane from 10th to just past 4th, along with eight new or upgraded boarding islands. It also includes 16 separated bike signals, pedestrian head-start intervals at 11 intersections, raised alley crossings, and 21 corner bulb-outs.

Parking may be the change you notice first. SFMTA's September update says parking and loading signs go in from October 2026 through the end of the year. It also says most curb uses removed during construction will come back looking "mostly" the way they did before, "with some minor adjustments to account for changing business operations." The agency describes the new layout as reflecting "new businesses opening, existing businesses changing delivery operations, and evolving curb access and loading needs." The board approved the original curb plan in spring 2019. The version going in now was revised to match the businesses on the street in 2026.

The signs will also be in a new place. Parking and loading signs will go on the concrete medians next to the parking lane, along the new bikeway, while street-sweeping signs stay on the sidewalk. The change covers Folsom from 2nd to 11th, side streets included. SFMTA says it will post flyers on poles and windshields ahead of each change and will focus first on "public awareness and education." If you park on Folsom, check the median sign for parking and loading rules and the sidewalk sign for sweeping days.

The Corridor Changed While The Street Was Torn Up

The construction cost some businesses on this stretch. Decant SF, the wine bar and bottle shop at 1168 Folsom, announced it would close June 20, 2026. Its co-founder told the San Francisco Chronicle that months of work out front had cut foot traffic and that construction vehicles and cones often blocked parking. She called the construction the final straw after other business challenges. In April 2026, the Bay Area Reporter quoted a Folsom merchant who said sales were down as much as 60 percent. In the same piece, the SOMA West CBD director said changing construction schedules made it hard for businesses to plan.

Other businesses rode it out and came back. Rocco's Cafe has been at 1131 Folsom since 1991 and joined the Legacy Business Registry in 2024. San Francisco Heritage reported that it closed temporarily for construction, ran a pop-up during the Folsom Street Fair, and planned to fully reopen in January 2026. Its website now says "We're Fully Open!" and notes that Apple Maps still lists it as closed. Current hours run Wednesday through Sunday, with service until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

The biggest change is at 1425 Folsom. The Standard reported on August 11, 2026 that the Foundry, previously known for conferences and corporate retreats, stopped operating July 27 and was expected to reopen August 22 as a music venue and nightclub. The new owner and general manager is Andrew Wasilewski, who co-founded the Faight Collective in the Lower Haight. Under the new team, phones aren't allowed on the dance floor, the Danley Sound Labs system is staying, and the plan includes weeknight listening parties where guests bring their own records. The venue's site lists October 2026 shows.

A Walk Down The Finished Blocks

These stops on Folsom have current listings, hours, or event calendars, ordered east to west by address:

1. 1015 Folsom. The club's calendar has October dates, starting Friday, October 9.
2. The Pagsasama-Sama mural at 1048 Folsom. SOMA Pilipinas lists it as a cultural asset celebrating Filipino community and collaboration. It's on the same stretch as the new SoMa Pilipinas crosswalks between 5th and 8th.
3. The Stud at 1123 Folsom. The Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District lists it as the bar's current home and made it a stop on the 2026 LeatherWalk route.
4. Rocco's Cafe at 1131 Folsom. Weekend breakfast starts at 9 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
5. Raven Bar at 1151 Folsom. Open Thursday through Saturday, with nightlife events on its October calendar.
6. Decentered Arts Studio at 1175 Folsom. It has events on October 5 and 6, including a recurring open mic.
7. Café Suspiro at 1246 Folsom, between Eighth and Ninth, with weekday and Saturday hours.
8. The Foundry at 1425 Folsom, at 10th Street.

Victoria Manalo Draves Park, a two-acre park that SOMA Pilipinas describes as an important space for the Filipino community, sits in the Folsom–Harrison corridor. Public Works planned significant planting in the medians and bulb-outs next to it as part of the late-September landscaping. Six of the eight stops above sit within about 230 street numbers of each other, roughly two blocks of Folsom.

The Party That Started As A Workaround

The clearest example of something construction created and the finished street will keep is SOMA Nights. The Bay Area Reporter described it in April 2026 as a monthly fourth-Thursday event running through September, meant to celebrate legacy businesses on Folsom between 7th and 9th and bring in customers during construction. SOMA West CBD writes that it "started as a collaboration with local businesses to mitigate the ongoing construction" and turned into "one of San Francisco's most dynamic and exciting Night Markets."

The 2026 finale took place Thursday, September 24 at 1145 Folsom. Its theme was "Under Construction," and the lineup included a dance flash mob and local art hung on the chain-link fences. Palette and Quit Your Day Job co-produced it, and the after-party moved to Decentered's studio at 1175 Folsom. The CBD calls it "the most popular monthly event to take place off Folsom" and signs off with "See You Next Year!" The series' own post says "see you in 2027." If it comes back, the next season will be the first one held on the finished street.

The Folsom Street Fair was scheduled for Sunday, September 27, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. SFMTA's closure plan covered Folsom from Seventh to Division/13th Street. Organizers promoted a "newly expanded footprint."

The Next Set Of Cones Is On Howard

Don't expect the cones to disappear from SoMa when Folsom is done. SFMTA's Howard Street project covers 4th to 11th. It would take out one westbound vehicle lane to make room for a two-way protected bikeway, plus new signals, loading zones, and trees. As of an October 2025 update, construction was expected to start in late 2026, with completion predicted in 2029. East of 4th Street, Public Works is running a separate Transbay Howard project. Its October 2026 update describes active utility work and lists a completion date of fall 2028. If you live between the two streets, Howard will probably be the construction corridor for the next few years while Folsom settles in.

If you own a building on or near Folsom, the new curb rules and median signs matter for tenant move-ins, deliveries, and contractor parking this winter. Kevin Wong handles leasing, move-ins, and vendor coordination for property owners in SoMa and across San Francisco. Let's Connect if you'd like help planning around the new curb layout or the Howard work ahead.