https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com


PUBLIC TRANSIT/A critical connection

PUBLIC TRANSIT/A critical connection

Transit agency completes a long-awaited rail extension to airport.
  • Written by American City & County Administrator
  • 1st February 2004

Forty-six years after transit officials first envisioned building a high-speed rail connection from San Francisco to the city’s airport, their dream became reality. In June 2003, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) opened an 8.7-mile extension of its heavy rail system to the San Francisco International Airport. The $1.48 billion project, which took five years to complete, included the construction of an underground subway, aerial bridge structures and transit stations.

When BART was created in 1957, transit officials began planning a high-speed rail network that would connect the geographically diverse region and move passengers through the San Francisco metropolitan area. Steadily, the agency built the transit network components to meet demand for service, opening the first 75-mile leg in 1972.

In 1991, BART was selected by the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Turnkey Demonstration Program to test new procurement contracting practices for major transit projects during the construction of the extension to the airport from an existing BART station at Colma. Plans for the extension included constructing 6.1 miles of subway tunnel and four transit stations. The BART stations would be situated at South San Francisco, San Bruno, and San Francisco International Airport, and an intermodal station at Millbrae would connect BART with the Caltrain commuter rail system that extends 180 miles from San Francisco to San Jose.

The federal program required that BART consolidate several contracts for the extension into a few design/build or design/build/operate contracts. In 1998, three out of four major design-build contracts for the extension were awarded to a team consisting of Sylmar, Calif.-based Tutor-Saliba/Slattery, a general contractor, and Kansas City, Mo.-based HNTB, a design firm. The team received the Line, Trackwork and Systems contract; the San Bruno Station and Parking Structure contract; and the South San Francisco Station and Parking Structure contract.

When the team started design and construction of the subway tunnel, they encountered a unique set of challenges. The tunnel passed through the cities of Colma, South San Francisco, San Bruno and Millbrae and crossed under 20 existing city streets. To keep all local streets open to traffic and to avoid disturbing businesses and residences, the team built temporary bridges for automobiles to travel over the work sites.

During construction of a 1.2-mile aerial guideway from the Millbrae station to the San Francisco International Airport, the team had to develop environmental mitigation plans to preserve sensitive wetlands that served as habitats for endangered species. The team designed and built a temporary work platform upon which all construction activity took place to avoid disturbing the sensitive environment. Additionally, construction workers attended special endangered species and wetlands preservation training, and biological monitors patrolled the construction site to ensure protection of the endangered species and their habitat.

Since the extension’s opening in June, daily ridership has reached 25,000 trips per day, and officials expect ridership to reach 70,000 trips by 2010. More than 100,000 passengers boarded the new extension during its first week in service. “The newly opened extension will eliminate 10,000 daily automobile trips to the airport, significantly contributing to the region’s efforts to relieve traffic congestion and comply with air-quality attainment regulations,” says Mike Callan, a BART project manager for the extension.

The project was funded with $750 million from the FTA, $200 million from the San Francisco International Airport, $183.7 million from BART, $171 million from the San Mateo County Transit District, $152 million from the California Transportation Commission and $26.5 million from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. The extension brings the total BART system to 104 miles with 43 stations, and its direct connection to the airport provides passengers with a new link to the rest of the world.

Tags:

Most Recent


  • Report: With increasing popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters, there's a need for 'safe and connected infrastructure'
    Electric scooters and e-bikes are rising in popularity. As transportation options diversify, local policymakers are beginning to integrate micromobility means as integral fixtures in transportation networks and climate action plans, given their health and climate benefits. But along with solutions, they’re also bringing with them a slew of hurdles. A report out of Oregon highlights […]
  • New York mayor announces city-wide curbside composting program, impacting 8.5 million residents by 2024
    On the heels of a successful 3-month-long pilot program in Queens, New York City has announced the largest curbside composting program in the United States. The initiative will begin following a winter-long hiatus of the Queens pilot, which is set to return permanently March 27. Curbside service to Brooklyn will begin Oct. 2, followed by the […]
  • Phoenix
    Federal funds help fast-growing Arizona city address several infrastructure challenges and needs
    Joe Giudice, public works director for the city of Phoenix, says the influx of new residents is driving a lot of construction in his community. “Phoenix is the fifth largest city in the United States. It is one of the fastest growing cities in a fast-growing region, which influences infrastructure product and service demand. This […]
  • How 5G is making cities safer, smarter, and more efficient
    This article first appeared on Urgent Communication. It’s a scenario we’ve all experienced: an ambulance with a blaring siren racing against time to get a person in medical distress to a hospital through traffic. What we don’t see is 5G connectivity enabling paramedics to communicate with hospital staff via video conference and coordinate care in […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • NLC releases State of Cities 2021 report
  • How governments can keep employees safe as they return to work
  • Lessons from your friendly neighborhood public service employees
  • North Texas alliance partners with Marketplace.city on smart government solutions

White papers


Modernizing government services for today’s resident expectations

24th January 2023

Preparing Your Community Now for the Next Generation of Older Adults

18th October 2022

Helping Government Fleets Achieve Their Goals

30th September 2022
view all

Webinars


How To: Evaluate Digital Government Service Delivery Technologies

23rd January 2023

Using Technology to Enhance Communications

29th November 2022

Learn the benefits of transforming and automating your Contract Management process

4th November 2022
view all

PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

GALLERIES


Report: While remote work is causing offices to empty out, walkable cities are still in high demand

26th January 2023

10 American cities with a great downtown

24th January 2023

Miami leads the way in FT-Nikkei ranking of best U.S. cities for foreign companies

20th January 2023
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Report: With increase popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters, there’s a need for ‘safe and connected infrastructure’ dlvr.it/ShlKmJ

31st January 2023
AmerCityCounty

New York mayor announces city-wide curbside composting program, impacting 8.5 million residents by 2024 dlvr.it/ShhRk1

30th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

Federal funds help fast-growing Arizona city address several infrastructure challenges and needs dlvr.it/ShhBtf

30th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

How 5G is making cities safer, smarter, and more efficient dlvr.it/ShYNcx

27th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

Shifting city demographics present an opportunity to build coalitions, address inequality dlvr.it/ShYMMm

27th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

Spending American Rescue Plan Act funds: A primer for municipalities dlvr.it/ShXzvl

27th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

Report: While remote work is causing offices to empty out, walkable cities are still in high demand dlvr.it/ShVhBW

26th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

Managing landslides along road corridors using remote sensing dlvr.it/ShTpL6

26th January 2023

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.