Salesforce Transit Center won't reopen until at least June

Salesforce Transit Center won't reopen until at least JuneThe shuttered Transit Center last September. | Photos: Teresa Hammerl/Hoodline
Teresa Hammerl
Published on February 01, 2019

More than four months after workers discovered two fissures in steel beams on a bus deck above Fremont Street, officials have now stated that the $2.26 billion Salesforce Transit Center won’t reopen to serve bus passengers and park visitors until at least June — and possibly longer than that.

As the Chronicle reports, repairs are expected to be completed at the beginning of June. After that, an independent review committee must determine if inspections or repairs are needed elsewhere in the structure, further delaying a reopening date. 

"We are very eager to reopen the transit center, but we want to make sure it is safe and that there are no other issues," Mark Zabaneh, executive director of the Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA), told the Chronicle.

In an update published on January 22, the TJPA said that Herrick Steel & Arcelor-Mittal Steel companies have procured the material for the girder repair and reinforcement, and are currently fabricating the plates that will be delivered onsite.

Bolts in the areas around the fractured girders over Fremont Street were also tested, and none were found to be damaged or cracked.

Until the Salesforce Transit Center is repaired, commuters will continue to use the Temporary Transbay Terminal at Howard and Main streets, which has been in place since 2010 to serve commuters while the permanent center was constructed.

The temporary terminal didn't go out of use for long: the Salesforce Transit Center was open for a mere six weeks before it was forced to close down. It's now been shuttered for three times as many weeks as it was open.