Background

The Transbay Transit Center/Caltrain Downtown Extension project is a visionary transportation program that will transform downtown San Francisco and regional transportation well into the next century. It consists of three interconnected elements:

• Replacing the outmoded Transbay Terminal with the modern Transbay Transit Center
• Extending Caltrain 1.3 miles from 4th and King Streets to the new Transbay Transit Center at 1st and Mission Streets, with accommodations for future High-Speed Rail
• Creating a new transit-friendly neighborhood with 3,400 new homes (35 percent of which will be affordable) and mixed-use commercial development.

The total program budget is currently estimated at $4.2 billion in year-of-expenditure dollars. In November 2007, the Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA) Board approved a $1.2 billion Baseline Budget for Phase 1 (the Transbay Transit Center, ramps and rail foundations). The current estimate for Phase 2 (the Downtown Extension) is $3 billion.

The Transportation Authority's Prop K Expenditure Plan includes $270 million (in 2003 dollars) for the project. Of this amount, $237.7 million is designated as Priority 1 and $32.3 million as Priority 2 funds. The Expenditure Plan specifies that the downtown rail extension and the terminal, known as the Transit Center Building, are to be built as a single integrated project. To date, the Authority has allocated $104 million in Prop K funds to the project. 

Where We Are Now

During calendar year 2009, the TJPA continued its efforts on Program Management/ Program Controls (PMPC), design and engineering for the Transbay Transit Center, preliminary engineering for the Downtown Extension, survey and environmental consulting work, and Right of Way acquisitions.

In April 2009, Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects entered into the design development phase for the Transit Center building, which is scheduled for completion in January 2010. A contract for Construction Management/General Contractor (CMGC) was awarded in March 2009 to Webcor-Obayashi, through which the $600 million in construction subcontracts for the Transbay Transit Center building will flow. TJPA also closed escrow on five real estate parcels for the Transbay Transit Center. 

For the Caltrain Downtown Extension, Parsons Transportation Group continued with Part 2 of Preliminary Engineering, which began in July 2008; it is scheduled for completion in August 2010. Coordination continued with Caltrain and the California High-Speed Rail Authority. The project team also completed the Design Criteria and the Contract Packaging Strategy.

In October 2009, the TJPA awarded a contract for the demolition of the Transbay Terminal and ramps at a cost significantly lower than the baseline budget and engineer's estimate. The Temporary Terminal was completed in October 2009 and operations are scheduled to commence in early 2010 at which time demolition of the existing terminal will commence. Construction of the new Transbay Transit Center building will commence in July 2010 and is expected to complete in 2014. The Downtown Extension is scheduled for completion in 2019. 

In the fall of 2009, the State of California submitted its applications for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) fund, which included $657 million for the project. In December 2009, the TJPA ratified the Federal Transportation Infrastructure Finance Innovation Act (TIFIA) Loan Agreement for $171 million, culminating a years-long process and securing the final revenue source in the Phase 1 funding plan.

• Visit the Transbay Transit Center Web site and take an interactive tour.
• See the California High-Speed Rail Authority Web site and take a quick CGI tour of the system on YouTube.