Transbay Transit Center: Rooftop Garden Comes Into Focus

Photos taken this week show construction progress on San Francisco’s new Transbay Transit Center, notably on the rooftop park and landscaping. The 5.4-acre park will include an amphitheater, gardens, trails, open grass areas and children’s play space as well as a restaurant and café. The project will replace the nearby Temporary Transbay Terminal with a modern regional transit hub connecting eight Bay Area counties and the greater state through 11 transit systems: AC Transit, BART, Caltrain, Golden Gate Transit, Greyhound, Muni, SamTrans, WestCAT Lynx, Amtrak, Paratransit and the future High Speed Rail line from San Francisco to Los Angeles/Anaheim. The new terminal and rooftop park are linear, spanning a four-block swath sandwiched between Mission and Howard streets, and incorporating the site of the original 1930s-era Transbay Terminal, which was torn down to make way for its successor. The terminal’s curvy profile is graced with whitish metal filigree-patterned panels that serve to mask its bulk and evoke an airy, cloud-like feel. The project is on track for beginning bus operations in early 2018.