BART is trying to reverse the unavoidable truth that station elevators are effectively public toilets. The agency is trying out a new trick to fight the constant stench of urine that assaults riders as soon as they step into most elevators throughout the system.

At Civic Center station the transportation agency is prototyping a "self flush and sanitizing system," which means they will release a bacteria-eating enzyme misting system in the elevator shaft. The misting will occur once an hour and won't affect elevator operations.

They laid out the plan at a recent BART meeting under a slide titled, "Dealing With The Smell." The smell solution hopes to eventually roll out at other downtown San Francisco and Oakland stations.

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BART is also hoping to quell the flow of the liquid that fills station elevators, soaks the floors and gets into the machinery.

This week BART crews are ripping up the linoleum and wood on the elevator floors at the Coliseum station. Next week they'll get started at Civic Center. It takes five days for crews to pull out the old material and then examine the metal underneath. Often the mechanisms within the elevators are rusted and eroded.

The next step is adding a urine-resistant floor that is sealed with epoxy, which will make the floor water-resistant and easier to clean. The hope is that the elevators will stop smelling like urine and won't be as easily damaged.

The project is slated to wrap up by April 2017, unless crews find more damage than expected.

KRON reported the project will cost about $2 million for 80 elevators systemwide.