San Francisco

City Officials Withhold Funding for Next Phase of Transbay Transit Project

The San Francisco County Transportation Authority Board of Commissioners has halted funding for the next phase of construction for the temporarily closed Salesforce Transit Center that would extend Caltrain to downtown.

In a unanimous vote on Tuesday, SFCTA commissioners suspended the funding for the extension, less than a month after two cracks in steel beams forced the closure of the transit center.

Commissioners cited mismanagement by the Transbay Joint Powers Authority for the suspension.

According to the board, the more than $9 million in funds were generated from a local transportation sales tax, made possible by 2003's citywide Proposition K. The funding could be restored if the TJPA agrees to an evaluation of its management by the City Controller's Office and a review by SFCTA staff of its oversight.

On Monday, city supervisor and SFCTA Board Chair Aaron Peskin said on Twitter, "We want to see transportation infrastructure projects move forward ... but the TJPA has bungled the management and delivery of this project for far too long. Voters need faith that their tax dollars are being spent responsibly."

The suspension of funding is the latest blow to the $2.2 billion transit center, which opened just more than two months ago.

Last week, lead contractor Webcor/Obayashi Joint Venture sued the TJPA, alleging it broke its contract by providing incomplete and defective design documents, delaying in responding to the contractor's questions and using a contingency fund improperly. The lawsuit is seeking about $150 million in damages.

The agency responded in a statement, "The Transbay Joint Powers Authority will hold Webcor/Obayashi Joint Venture responsible for their contractual commitment to deliver this project to the people of the Bay Area and the state of California."

Workers first discovered cracks in the steel beams in the transit center's bus deck above Fremont Street on Sept. 25, prompting the immediate closure of the center as well as Fremont Street.

Engineers have since installed shoring installations to help support the bus deck and are currently testing the steel around the cracks to determine what caused them.

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