25 June 2019 / SF News / Jay Barmann
Transit Center To Reopen Rooftop July 1, But Buses Won't Be Going There For Weeks
The Transbay Transit Center, a.k.a. the Salesforce Transit Center, will be reopening on July 1st, as announced two weeks ago. But the reopening of the doors only means that the public can walk inside again, look at the Jenny Holzer LED art, and go up to the rooftop park.
Salesforce Park will be open again for public wandering, sitting, and yoga-doing (though it's unclear if all the programming that was in place for the Transit Center's brief opening window last fall will return right away). But the Transit Center won't actually be a transit center for at least a few weeks. As the Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA) explains the first to return, in "early July," will be Muni and Golden Gate Transit buses in the street-level areas, but not right away as drivers need to be re-coordinated, etc. For the time being, the temporary bus depot will continue to be in use at Howard and Main Streets.
AC Transit and Greyhound buses, which used the upper level bus deck, won't be returning to the Transit Center until an unspecified date in "late summer," along with Westcat Lynx buses to Hercules and Pinole.
"We are pleased to welcome the public back to the transit center and sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this temporary closure has caused," says Mohammed Nuru, Chair of the TJPA Board, in a statement. "I thank Mayor Breed and Mayor Schaaf for calling for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's independent review, which has now concluded. They provided thorough, proper and independent oversight."
The Transit Center, in case you missed it, was open for about a month last fall before cracks were discovered in steel beams on the third-floor bus deck at Fremont Street, prompting the emergency closure of the entire building. A lengthy retrofit, repair, and review process ensued, which just concluded in the last month.
Construction of the $2.2 billion Center began in 2013 with a $300 million budget shortfall, and complications continued from there. It was officially renamed the Salesforce Transit Center in mid-2017, much to the distaste of SFMTA chief Ed Reiskin, but he added, "Every dollar we get privately helps us fulfill our public mission." The 25-year sponsorship deal cost Salesforce $110 million, and the Center has an annual operating budget of $20 million.
If and when trains ever reach it... that's the $2.2 billion question.
Photo: Fullmetal2887 / Wikimedia Commons
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