As San Francisco prepares for the opening of the new Chase Center arena later this fall, Mayor London Breed on Wednesday announced the city is working on providing interim ferry service to the city's Mission Bay neighborhood for events there.
The interim ferry service would only be for Golden State Warriors games and other special events and the city hopes to have it up and running by Oct. 1 -- the start of the 2019/2020 NBA season, according to Breed's office.
The interim service aims to alleviate anticipated traffic congestion during Chase Center events. Plans for a constructing a permanent ferry landing in the Mission Bay area are in the works, but that project won't be finished until 2021.
"We need to continue to invest in our transportation infrastructure so that we can have a successful opening of Chase Center that also works for the Mission Bay neighborhood and residents," Breed said in a news relrease.
"While we wait for the long-term ferry landing that will serve the community year-round, this interim ferry service will be help us address congestion during Warriors games and other special events. This is all part of the city's commitment to a successful opening of Chase Center this fall," she said.
The interim ferry landing is set to be located at Pier 48, just a block from San Francisco Municipal Railway's T-Third Street line and an easy to walk to the Chase Center.
According to the mayor's office, the special event service will be provided by San Francisco Bay Ferry and Golden Gate Ferry and may service the Oakland/Alameda, South San Francisco and Larkspur ferry routes.
The interim landing is currently in the design process and construction on the project, estimated to cost $500,000, is expected to start in August, pending permits.
The Port of San Francisco is spearheading the project.
According to Breed's office, the permanent ferry-landing project in Mission Bay, estimated to cost $45 million, would qualify for funding by Regional Measure 3, which Bay Area voters passed in June 2018. RM3 sought to increase the region's bridge tolls to pay for transportation projects that ease congestion.
However, because RM3 is currently tied up in litigation, the funds can't be used and has resulted in the project's completion date being pushed to 2021.
Once complete, the permanent ferry landing will provide service daily for up to 6,000 passengers, with the capacity to berth two ferry boats simultaneously and may include a nearby water taxi landing, Breed's office said.
