With repairs to the fractured Salesforce Transit Center now officially underway and expected to be completed by the first week of June, the Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA) is expected to release an official re-opening schedule for the center next month.
But according to a preliminary framework for the center’s re-activation presented to the TJPA’s Board of Directors yesterday, in addition to a “probable” early opening of the center’s bus plaza on the ground floor, an early opening of the rooftop Salesforce Park is now “plausible” as well.
Somewhat anti-climatic. HSR will never come to the TTC and it’s likely DTX will not either.
DTX will come. In another year or two, when next 10 years of projects gets picked and funded, we’ll get DTX.
HSR will nice again when the next administration comes. Consider that IL got 50% of their rail upgrade funded by Washington. No reason to think that spigot for matching funds for rail will remain closed in 2 years.
I was always fine with just having DTX and caltrain come through, HSR can come later. But given DTX will cost MORE than the entire terminal, I am not sure they think it is worth building it just for caltrain.
Dave, you’re correct. They never will come. Martin is absolutely incorrect. DTX, which was promised two decades ago, is at least 12 years away from even the remote chance of passenger service to the TTC. That’s not a “year or two” away. HSR investment will not change for the better with “a new administration in Washington.” Nope. Even the Dems would be hesitant to fund a boondoggle like HSR. (Don’t get me wrong…I am all for rail investment, just not this particular project and scope.)
Maybe we’ll get the underground passageway to Embarcadero BART while we’re waiting for DTX and HSR. At least TTC will be able to tout one rail connection!
Can we get another connector to Montgomery BART station from the other end of Transbay?
seems unlikely – the one under beale would is adjacent to the terminal building on that side. but to get to montgomery station would require going under 2nd which is not quite adjacent to the terminal building, and with room for DTX required you would have to take a few more buildings down along 2nd to make it happen. Given real estate prices it doesn’t seem worth it to have 2 such tunnels.
Tunnel could easily run under 2nd St. between Montgomery St. station on Market and Mission St, with a short 90 degree turn into the TTC. But, as we all know about pedestrian tunnels (using Powell St. station as an example) it would be filled with homeless in no time.
Or run under First with a 90 degree turn into Montgomery Station.
Would you settle for the gondola which gets you about a quarter of the way to BART?
Don’t need to open the park until the rainy season is over.
My wife and toured it the first or second weekend it opened. It’s beautiful. Besides the fantastic vibe of the gardens, the view of the surrounding skyscrapers hit us as unusual. In a sense, you’re walking in the middle of the block but raised above the typical retail/loading/blankness of 1st and sometimes second floors at street level. The surrounding buildings looked much cooler from garden’s vantage. We felt like we walking in a canyon. Once it reopens, we’ll check it out again. Workers in those buildings can spend their lunch at the garden and recharge some.
After all this rain, I bet the gardens are lush. What an interesting space. It’s great for the city.
HSR will probably end up costing at least $200 billion. Does anyone really think the Democrats in Washington will want to fund a high percentage of that cost? And will California voters approve the massive amount of state funding required? I think the project will die after the Central Valley section is completed (and that section will just be a $10 billion dollar Amtrak upgrade with no actual high speed trains).
UPDATE: Salesforce Transit Center on Track for a Potential June Reopening