The news of compromised structural supports and the closing of Salesforce Transit Center was a blow to the neighborhood, city and the region. Luckily, transit operations were able to quickly move back to the still-available Temporary Terminal Site. On October 2, 2018, the Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA)-in charge of the Transit center-held a special Board of Directors meeting where the following points were addressed:
Closure of Fremont Street
Fremont Street is anticipated to remain closed until at least October 12 while a temporary support brace is installed. The temporary support will occupy a center lane section of Fremont Street one installed, and two lanes of traffic will then flow north around the temporary brace.
Identifying the cause of the crack
Once the temporary shoring is in place on Fremont Street, steel samples will be taken from the cracked girders. The testing will take at least two weeks and are expected to identify the cause of the cracking. In addition, SF Chronicle reported last week that Mayors Breed and Schaaf requested new oversight in probe of beams.
Salesforce Park expected to open before transportation service resumes
November 1st is the earliest date for reopening the park. The temporary shoring system on Fremont Street can carry the load of the bus deck and the park, however TJPA staff plan to await test results on the failed beams before reopening the park.
Transit operations to continue at the Temporary Transbay Terminal until further notice
The TJPA staff reported that they will await a permanent fix to the cracked steel beams before reopening the Center for bus operations. The time table for the reopening of the bus deck was not given, but is known to be a minimum of two months away.
There is no word yet on how this situation will affect Salesforce Transit Center retailers and their move-in dates. We will continue to publish updates on the developments and resolution of this unfortunate situation, please continue to reach out to us via info@theeastcut.org should you have any question.
Update: In its October 10th update, The Transbay Joint Powers Authority made mention of the one-block closure on Fremont between Howard and Mission streets, that is now expected to reopen on October 17th, 2018. There is one more night time closure to expect next week between 9 pm and 5 am on First street between Howard and Mission streets, date to be determined.
