Gov. Workers Finally Finish ‘Industrial Tity’ Sign in South SF
Photo: Eric Deaver, March 2nd, 2019
After 90+ years of construction, the massive sign in South San Francisco is finally finished. Construction foreman, Arnold Hammerhands, spoke to press on Sunday morning with great pride, “It’s been a long time coming, but finally motorists will know what South SF is really all about!” Said Hammerhands. When asked why the project took so long to complete, Hammerhands credited and thanked the SF construction teams that helped, “I know it’s been a long time coming,” he said, “but, with the help of the Salesforce Transit Center construction team, and the SF Central Subway construction team, we were able to complete the project, only 90 years after the original deadline and only 4 billion dollars over budget.”
The old, unfinished South San Francisco Sign
The iconic South San Francisco Sign was commissioned in 1923 by the South SF Chamber of Commerce, it was built to promote business interests in the municipality, which of course is separate from the City and County of San Francisco. It was commissioned the same year as the slightly more famous ‘Hollywood” sign in Los Angeles.
“Many are giving credit for the completion of the sign to a couple of teenagers with a can of white paint,” said Hammerhands, “nothing could be further from the truth! We worked tirelessly with other incompetent and clearly corrupt developers to finish this sign,” assured Hammerhands, “now that this vital project is finished, the construction teams from the Central Subway line and the Salesforce Transit Center can go back to not fixing or opening either municipalities.”
Central Subway Tunnel building under SF is never going to be finished. Photo tutorperini.com
The Central Subway line in San Francisco has been under construction for over 10 years, is tens of millions of dollars over budget and will not open on time (it may, or may not open in 2020). Its latest delay was caused by contractors who literally ‘laid the wrong track‘, in the new subway tunnel. They have been working on this 1.7 mile MUNI extension for 10 years. That’s ‘Ten’ with a ‘T’. It took Bart less time to build over 70 miles of track, underground, aboveground and under the bay, in the 1960s.
Meanwhile new Salesforce Transit Center is still closed, six months after its grand opening. It was also over budget, late to open, and of course, poorly constructed. After 8 years of building, it took less than 8 weeks to discover the entire center was unsafe for use, because of cracked support beams..
Salesforce Transit Center funding suspended for mismanagement. Photo courtesy of SF Chronicle
In all seriousness. The “South San Francisco Industrial Tity’ sign change, was actually a prank that happened over the weekend, and of course, no one has claimed responsibility for repainting the sign. We like to have a little fun with headlines now and again, and although we made up ‘Arnold Hammerhands’, we unfortunately did not make up any figures or timetables associated with the Central Subway or Salesforce Transit Center. Those projects are both costing the taxpayer billions, and have been grossly mismanaged from the start.
Anyway, we’re sure the South SF sign will be fixed within a day or two. If you’re interested in hiking Sign Hill where the 60 ft letters are painted check out our article about the hike and the history here.
