Technical Tours

 

 

Come see the Transbay Transit Center, a visionary transportation and housing project that will

transform downtown San Francisco and the regional transportation system by creating a Grand Central Station of the West and a new transit-friendly bustling retail center for those who live, work and visit the heart of downtown San Francisco. When the rail component is complete, it is estimated that more than 20 million people will use the Transit Center annually. The project’s capital cost is estimated at $4.185 billion, escalated to year of expenditure (YOE) and it is a true collaborative effort by local, regional, state and federal authorities to meet its funding needs.

 

Not only will the new Transit Center make public transit a convenient option (as it is in other  world-class cities), allowing people to commute without a car and thereby decreasing congestion and pollution, but the Pelli/Hines design also features a “green roof” on top of the Transit Center,  where commuters, downtown residents, office workers and visitors can walk, lunch and relax in a new 5.4-acre park.

 

After a short presentation on this project, you will embark on a walking tour of the new Caltrain Downtown Extension Project, designed to accommodate California High-Speed Rail and possible future extension to the East Bay. This tunneling project involves 1.3 miles of underground extension, 3-track alignment with 2-track lead, and a total of 6 tracks and 3 platforms at the Transit Center.

 

What do you get when you combine 200 million pounds of structural steel, 5,000 miles of half-inch steel strands in the tension cables and 450,000 cubic yards of concrete? California’s largest infrastructure project. And when completed in 2013, it will be the largest self-anchored suspension bridge ever built – and another Bay Area landmark!

 

The new East Span will feature the world’s largest Self-Anchored Suspension Bridge and the first bridge of its kind constructed with a single tower. The innovative design features state-of-the-art seismic safety elements and a modern, streamlined appearance and graceful tower that will be right at home in a region recognized and celebrated for its breathtaking bridges.

 

To keep traffic flowing on one of the nation’s busiest bridges in the midst of this work demands new levels of innovation, from extremely complex traffic shifts and the staging of crews and equipment, to unique approaches to demolition and construction. Several milestones have already been reached:

 

• traffic is now flowing smoothly on the permanent eastbound and westbound decks of the West Approach;

• the 1.2-mile-long Skyway – with its stunning panoramic Bay views – is now complete; and

• all retrofit work on the West Span (between San Francisco and Yerba Buena Island) is finished.

 

 

Each tour: $45 per person with Early Bird registration; $55 thereafter. Fees include all admissions and tour guide services.

 

Please note: Wear comfortable shoes as you will be walking during each of these tours. (All times are approximate.)