The planned $8.25 billion project to connect 11 rail lines in the heart of San Francisco took a step forward this summer with AECOM chosen as the program manager. The Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA) is looking for ways to fill a $2.75 billion funding gap, including seeking a Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) and a possible regional transportation ballot measure in 2026.
AECOM announced on August 21 its award (in June) of program management and construction management services for the 2.2-mile, 2-station Downtown Rail Extension (DTX) project, also known as Portal. The megaproject, with 1.5 miles of tunnel, will extend Caltrain service from its current terminus at Fourth and King streets to the Salesforce Transit Center, and accommodate future California High Speed Rail service. Once completed, it will serve as a key regional rail link with a combined average ridership forecast of 90,000 daily commuters.
AECOM leads Portal Connectors, the team tasked with helping TJPA secure federal funding, finalize the 2024 procurement plan, activate collaborative delivery models, design and build the stations, and integrate The Portal with rail systems and operations existing The team will transition to construction management when work begins on the project.
According to AECOM and TJPA, the 1.3-mile rail extension is expected to be constructed primarily below grade using cut-and-cover and tunneling methods. The project includes a subway station at Fourth and Townsend streets along with the basement levels of the Salesforce Transit Center, utility relocation, track and systems work. The initial planned completion is in 2032.
According to the minutes of the TJPA board meeting in June, the contract is for five years for an amount not to exceed $158,165,635, with two options to extend for two years each in an aggregate amount which shall not exceed $297,335,420.
“Our capabilities in all forms of rail projects, from urban transit to high-speed and regional rail, continue to make us a trusted partner for our global customers seeking integrated rail solutions,” said Drew Jeter, executive director of AECOM’s global program management business. line, in the press release. “We look forward to leveraging these capabilities as we help deliver this multimodal transit hub, which will support transformative mobility and environmental benefits for the Bay Area and beyond.”
TJPA also selected three teams that responded to its RFQ for a civil construction and progressive design tunnel of the project issued last year. They are Barnard Construction with lead designer Hatch Associates Consultants; Flatiron-Dragados-Obayashi with AZTEC-TYPSA and Arcadis as lead designers; and a team from Kiewit as the main contractor and designer.
According to the TJPA website, the winning team will be selected in October. However, in a report from the July board meeting, the authority noted that “In order to submit an application to begin negotiations for an FFGA, the FTA requires, among other things, that a potential beneficiary proves that all those who are not CIG [Capital Investment Grants] funds are allocated to the project. Under the current approved accelerated master schedule, TJPA would have to demonstrate this commitment by October 2024. There is no credible path to identify the $2.751 billion needed in that time frame. Additional time will be required for TJPA, working with local, regional, state and federal partners to identify such funding.”
The TJPA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
looking ahead
According to the July 17 board report, FTA has committed $3.384 billion in CIG funding and TJPA has identified $1.39 billion from various local, regional and state sources, leaving a funding gap of $2.751 billion dollars under the current schedule.
The TBJA is working on value engineering and program scope modifications, and is considering multiple scenarios of whether an FFGA can be obtained in an additional year to two years. “The schedule change scenarios would result in an additional escalation of approximately $300-600 million,” the report states.
According to the report, project officials have identified $541 million in potential value engineering savings to date. They are seeking another $1 billion in state funding and are proposing to form a task force with city and county officials to identify possible sources of local funding.
“We are approaching a number of sources,” said Adam van de Water, executive director of the TJPA, addressing the board at its June 13 meeting. He said the agency has applied for grants under the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements program and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Mega Grant program.
“These are very competitive grant opportunities,” he said. “They are critical to us because they will fund the advancement of our design … and the upcoming RFP for the progressive design-build contract.”
He noted that the new executive task force has so far identified three scope reductions: the removal of the Beale Street train box extension to accommodate future 16-car high-speed rail double train sets ; shortening a planned expansion of a bus facility and postponing a warranty period for high-speed rail operations and maintenance.
The 2.2 miles, 2 stations project includes 1.5 miles of tunnel under downtown San Francisco.
Rendering courtesy of TJAP
A proposed regional transportation measure SB 1031 “has a number of policy considerations built into it,” and negotiations among stakeholders will continue in 2025, he added. But that “won’t necessarily affect the timeline” for putting the measure on the 2026 ballot, he said.
The recommendations include continuing certain recruitment activities, such as “starting the approximately 18-month process to bring the [progressive design-build] contractor per day,” is advancing preconstruction work and completing procurement documents for all packages, according to the July report.
Construction of the Salesforce Tower included an underground box in preparation for the planned Portal project, financed with $400 million in federal funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
