With Sinbad’s having been razed to make room for the San Francisco’s Ferry Terminal Expansion project, which includes the construction of two new berthing facilities (Gates F and G) and a new Bayside promenade with covered passenger queuing areas on the south side of the Ferry Building, the groundbreaking for the project has been scheduled for May 11.

In addition to the gate expansion, the project includes the infilling of the adjacent lagoon, as pictured above, to create a new Embarcadero Plaza which will serve as staging area for the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) in the case of a natural disaster.

San Francisco’s ferry terminal will serve a projected 32,000 riders per weekday by 2035, including new service to Treasure Island and Mission Bay, which is up from around 10,000 passengers today.  And the expansion project, as rendered above, should be completed by the end of 2019.

15 thoughts on “Expansion of San Francisco’s Ferry Terminal About to Get Underway”
  1. This is such great news. We way underutilze boat transit here, and the east bay to sf and back for sure has enough population and docking areas around the bay that could be better developed.

    Plus if (….er, when) there is a huge quake we will need this capacity (& we should plan much more IMO) if the brigde and tunnel get knocked out.

    1. I wouldn’t count on the pier structures surviving a big quake. Think liquefaction in a major way.

  2. I love the map of the bay plaza. What would make it even better is if the blue part was actually water.

  3. Best news and oak/lover is 100% correct for the need to expand this route, to the development in D10 such as the PROP O development areas, Brisbane, Candlestick, and the Pier 70 Projects, as this is critical transit and emergency systems for post EQ events. The need to seriously consider water-routes is key for the density issues.

    DTX needs to be completed next….

    1. Very true. I think a Bayview Hunters Point terminal is already being studies as part of all the development, considering the tons of new housing and jobs going in there. And isn’t there already a new ferry terminal planned for Mission Bay near the new Warriors Arena?

  4. I have to say I find it ironic that the MTC just spent 20 years and $7 billion dollars “fixing” the Bay Bridge and pretty much no one in the Bay Area expects it to be standing after an earthquake. Hmmm….

    1. Only people with absolutely zero knowledge of basic engineering principles think the new Bay Bridge would come down in an earthquake. That belief is embarrassingly ignorant.

      1. “zero knowledge of basic engineering principles”. Hmm. If I’m not mistaken several of the engineering professors at Cal have questioned the sturdiness of the current bridge. But I’m guessing you have a condo in the Millennium tower? 🙂

        1. It is orders of magnitude safer than the old eastern span, which literally sat on wood piles driven shallowly into mud and silt. This is not disputed by any engineer involved with or independently studying the project. Don’t let facts get in the way of your willful ignorance.

    2. Plan for everything, no matter how remote. Note as well how the new plaza and piers are above the current level of the waterfront to protect them from rising sea levels.

  5. I could be wrong, but if I remember correctly, there is no water taxi support included in the plan, but water taxi is a few piers away. I know it sounds kind of lazy, but I think having a water taxi right there as well would be great for simple transfers from/to the ferry from up and down the Embarcadero and drive more people to another form of commuting.

  6. Is there a plan to shore up the Agriculture Building around the plaza? As you approach from Bay Bridge along Embarcadero, you can see that it’s settling rather unevenly. It’s not quite at Millennium Tower level, but it does feel like it’s one earthquake away from becoming red-tagged. Would be nice to save it while it’s still up.

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