The newest chapter in the years-long project to improve the Panhandle is scheduled to kick off next Monday, October 3rd.

According to SF Rec & Parks spokesperson Joey Kahn, this will be the second round of improvements to the northern (i.e. mixed-use) pathway through the park. The pathway will get improved signage, new bike lane striping, new benches and trash cans, and bicycle racks. (Phase 1, which was completed last year, involved the installation of LED lights on the mixed-use path.)

The work is scheduled to last through December, Kahn said, and will impact the travel lane only outside of peak commute times and weekends. Work will be put on hold on weekdays from 7-9am and 3-5pm.

Conspicuously absent from this year's scheduled work is an overhaul of the southern Panhandle pedestrian path, which was identified over a year ago as a clear priority among parkgoers. Two weeks ago, the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council protested at a Parks Alliance fundraiser in the Panhandle, in an attempt to put pressure on Rec & Parks to address the southern path.

"We do not have a timeline [for the southern path] at this point," said Kahn in an email. "[We're] looking into the scope of the repairs on the southern path and funding options."