TJPA Drops Historic First Wrecking Ball on Transbay Terminal Building

Today, the Transbay Joint Powers Authority’s (TJPA) demolition contractor Evans Brothers, Inc. dropped the historic first wrecking ball on the front facade of the old Transbay Terminal building, marking the project’s progress as it works towards removing the old bus terminal and ramps to make way for the new, multi-modal Transbay Transit Center.

“Today marks an exciting milestone in our demolition efforts and we are very pleased with our progress,” said Nathaniel P. Ford, Sr., TJPA Board Chairman. “Not only are we on schedule but there has not been one reported accident in over 20,000 craft hours by Evans Brothers, Inc. in the demolition work underway which is a remarkable achievement.”

The demolition of the Transbay Terminal is currently in the third of four phases of activity. Work to remove the eastern bus ramps has already been completed along with the removal of the main building’s roof, portions of the walls and bus levels along with the steel overpasses over both First and Fremont Streets. As part of the project’s LEED efforts, more than 6,500 tons of concrete have been demolished and will be crushed and reused on site.

“Since the stimulus funding allowed us to break ground on this historic project in August, more than 600 people have been employed to date with construction jobs and more than 125,000 jobs will be created from the project as a whole,” said Maria Ayerdi-Kaplan, TJPA Executive Director. “Projects like Transbay are critical to our local economy and our regional transportation infrastructure.”

The wrecking ball is planned to remain in use for the next few months as the remainder of the old Terminal structure is removed. A Temporary Terminal located a few blocks away on Beale and Howard Streets will continue to serve bus operations until the new Transbay Transit Center opens its doors in 2017. The Transit Center will serve 11 transportation systems—including California High Speed Rail—and up to 45 million passengers per year. The LEED Gold building will also feature large public art works as part of the building design and a 5.4 acre public rooftop park.

For more information about the project, visit www.transbaycenter.org. Demolition activities and schedule are available at: www.transbaycenter.org/demolition.