A large portion of San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s Central Subway closed for repairs starting Wednesday because of water seeping into the tunnel.

The tunnel will be closed between the Chinatown-Rose Pak and Fourth/Brannan Muni stations until March 14, according to SFMTA officials.

The repairs are intended to fix problems like water on the staircase, seepage at joints and water damage on tunnel panels.

This work includes applying grout to spaces behind “the platform cavern” and fixing punctures in the “waterproofing membrane,” according to the transit agency. 

To accommodate riders during the project, SFMTA has made a number of adjustments to bus and Muni lines, including running a T-Third bus between the Chinatown-Rose Pak Station and the Fourth and King stop that will also serve the 30-Stockton bus stops on Fourth, Thirrd, Kearny and Stockton streets.

Also, the K-Ingleside and T-Third Street Muni lines will run as a combined KT train from Sunnydale to the Fourth and King stop, along King Street and The Embarcadero and into the Market Street Subway.

Outbound trains will run as a K train to Balboa Park.

For more information about the repairs and alternate transit options, people can visit SFMTA’s website.

During the closure, crews will also install public art and roof gutters and make some drainage system repairs.

Kiley Russell writes primarily for Local News Matters on issues related to equity and the environment. A Bay Area native, he has lived most of his life in Oakland. He studied journalism at San Francisco State University, worked for the Associated Press and the former Contra Costa Times, among other outlets. He has covered everything from state legislatures, local governments, federal and state courts, crime, growth and development, political campaigns of various stripes, wildfires and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.