San Francisco's Salesforce Transit Centre Reopens after Precautionary Closure

Last year, the Salesforce Transit Center and Park in San Francisco infamously opened before having to be suddenly closed — just one month later — due to cracks found in supporting steel beams.

This week, the $2.2 billion project has finally reopened after 10 months.

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A "perfect storm"

At the time of the closure of the center, officials said they were being overly cautious in order to ensure the public's safety.

As Popular Mechanics reports, it was later revealed that the fractures were caused by the accumulation of three separate factors.

“The two brittle fractures were likely caused by a ‘perfect storm’ of three factors,” said Mike Engelhardt, chair of the center's review committee and a structural engineering professor at the University of Texas-Austin.

“An underlying weakness in the steel itself, stresses during fabrication and thermal cutting, and the strain from loads during service.”

A painstaking review

After a team of engineers spent months reviewing the steel structure supporting the Salesforce Transit Center, and changes were made, they came to the conclusion that it is now safe for the public.

Both of the cracked beams were separately reinforced by two huge steel plates. These were bolted to the girders by hundreds of steel bolts.

“We have undergone an exhaustive and independent review and are fully confident in the transit center,” Mark Zabaneh, executive director of the TJPA, said in a press statement.

New additions and waiting times

On the first day of the reopening, a new gondola was also opened to the public. Some expressed surprise that it was purposefully designed to take you to the fourth deck park on top of the center, but not back down. 

AC Transit buses have not yet returned to the park, though they are expected this summer, the San Francisco Examiner reports.

Meanwhile, for anyone wanting to get to know the park, who isn't yet able to go there, former Rec and Park commissioner Mike Sullivan has created a detailed online guide on his website.