San Francisco Central Subway 'Letter of Non Prejudice' Marks A Major Step Forward For Controversial Project (Photos)

San Francisco's controversial Central Subway project moved one step closer to completion this week when the city got a crucial okay from the federal government.

Speaking in Washington, D.C., while attending the U.S. Conference of Mayors, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee said the city received a "Letter of Non Prejudice" from the Department of Transportation allowing the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to dig an enormous hole near the intersection of Fourth and Bryant streets and lower a giant tunnel boring machine into the ground.

(SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTOS)

That machine, one of two leased from the Italy-Montana joint venture Barnard Impregilo Healy for $233.6 million, will be used to create a tunnel for the subway stretching from the Caltrain station near AT&T Park all the way to Chinatown.

The federal government is expected to pay for close to $1 billion of the project's $1.6 billion overall tab. The city has applied for Washington's portion of the funding but has yet to actually receive the money. Lee told the San Francisco Chronicle this week's announcement is "a good sign that the final grant agreement is on its way."

SFMTA officials expect to secure a binding commitment from Washington sometime soon.

"If they're going to allow us to spend another $50 million to dig a big hole in the ground, you'd think they'd be confident in our ability to secure funding to finish the project," SFMTA chief Ed Reiskin told the San Francisco Examiner.

The Central Subway has been controversial from its inception; however, criticism of a 1.7-mile extension of the T-Third Muni line only reached a fever pitch during last year's mayoral election when Ed Lee's opponents painted the project as a needlessly expensive boondoggle.

Critics, such as members of the Civil Grand Jury that released a report last year slamming the project, note the Central Subway is now expected to cost more than twice the $650 million figure originally floated to San Francisco voters when they approved a half-cent sales tax to cover the city's portion of the project's costs in 2003.

The Central Subway isn't only new line Muni is planning on introducing in the coming years. The agency is in the process of creating a new E line running from the SoMa Caltrain station, down the Embarcadero and all the way though to Fort Mason on a currently unused section of streetcar track.

SFMTA initially hoped to roll out the full line in time for the 2013 America's Cup; however, the extension to Fort Mason won't be ready by then, so the line will only travel as far as Fisherman's Wharf during for the world-famous sailing competition.

Check out this slideshow of pics from SFMTA showing what the Central Subway is going to look like:

Comments

[MrPragmatic]

12:05 PM on 01/21/2012

1.7 miles? Chinatown to At&t park? Ahhh the subway to nowhere. How about a crosstown subway through the no mans land of the Western Addition?

[corwin]

08:08 PM on 01/20/2012

Is this being built before or after the Supertrain?

[zombywulf]

05:44 PM on 01/19/2012

Couldn't find anything else to do with $1.6 BILLION. Why not fix what you already have. Are there no pot holes, no damaged streets, no broken busses. But I guess we do need a 1.7 mile ditch to have something for the buildings to fall in during the next quake.

[MexiChick67]

07:52 PM on 01/19/2012

You are right, but at the same time traffic is getting so ugly. I'd rather have a 'tube' to navigate through The City and avoid sucking up exhaust riding the 30-Stockton.

[corwin]

08:09 PM on 01/20/2012

It's not going to happen. It's just a columnon HuffPo

[Vintage59]

04:39 PM on 01/19/2012

This is good for San Francisco. I frequently travel into the City to spend money but I never drive in and I don't do busses. If your business isn't near a train or trolley stop you just won't receive any of my spending. I'm looking forward to exploring some of San Jose in the next few years, too.

[Ry Bread]

10:33 PM on 01/19/2012

I agree with you that this is good for the city, but you are truely missing out on a lot if you only go to places that are in proximity to a train or trolley station.

[cjk002]

12:44 AM on 01/20/2012

Very true. I think that the best way to get around the city is to walk.

While I ride Bart 4 - 5 times a week when I have to go further than the Mission (I live on Nob Hill, I have found that I can get almost anywhere in the city in equal or less time than it would take on a Muni bus by walking. The bonus is that you get to experience more of the City that way - I have discovered quite a few fun places and great scenic views while walking to work or Downtown.

[Vintage59]

10:07 AM on 01/20/2012

That's a choice I freely made decades ago. I believe that choosing to travel via personal auto when you live in a large urban area is simply selfish and not a sustainable lifestyle. At this point it isn't going to cause hardship to some vague future generation. It is going to cause hardship to my grandchildren. I don't want to do that to them.