Missing the buses: Transbay Transit Center’s opening delayed until at least August

Buses will use the suspension bridge to enter and exit the structure, as construction continues on the Transbay Transit Center in downtown San Francisco, Calif., as seen on Tues. March 20, 2018. A big grand opening of the $2.2 billion project is already being planned for sometime in June. less Buses will use the suspension bridge to enter and exit the structure, as construction continues on the Transbay Transit Center in downtown San Francisco, Calif., as seen on Tues. March 20, 2018. A big grand ... more Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Missing the buses: Transbay Transit Center’s opening delayed until at least August 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

Construction delays on the $2.2 billion Transbay Transit Center have pushed back the opening of the mega-bus station and rooftop park until at least August.

“We haven’t penciled in the date yet, but that’s what we are talking about,” said Mohammed Nuru, San Francisco’s Public Works director and a member of the multi-jurisdiction board overseeing construction of the replacement for the Transbay Terminal.

The board once hoped to finish construction of the four-block-long building — known officially as the Salesforce Transit Center — by late last year and start AC Transit cross-bay service this month. But construction delays have pushed back the completion date to June, and even then, there are a few finishing touches to be made and 700 AC Transit bus drivers to be trained on getting into and out of the new center.

AC isn’t able to say when it will be able to train its drivers because the Transbay Joint Power Authority’s completion date “continues to be a moving target,” said the transit agency’s Robert Lyles.

Transit Center spokeswoman Christine Falvey downplayed the tensions, saying, “We have always worked with the best information we have.”

Photo: Michael Macor / The Chronicle Signage begins to appear on the bus deck as construction continues...

Meanwhile, Muni spokesman Paul Rose tells us his agency hopes to start providing curbside service at the transit center “as soon as possible once the construction is done” in mid-June.

The uncertainly over when the center would open — and the question of how much foot traffic there would be without the promised arrival of high-speed rail — is one reason no retailers have committed to the building’s massive mall. It won’t open until at least next year.

Falvey insists, however, that “there is a lot of interest” from retailers in the site.

The future of the “box” that was built beneath the center at a cost of $500 million to accommodate high-speed rail is also unclear. The dream of high-speed rail service between San Francisco and Los Angeles — with its estimated 100,000 riders a day — is not expected to become reality for another 20 years, if ever.

Nonetheless, the terminal is a monumental statement that has been years in the building, and San Francisco officials are planning an appropriately grand opening celebration.

The first order of business is to line up sponsors to kick in anywhere from $5,000 to $100,000 each to pay for a full week of celebrations. The planned events include a party for the families of the construction workers, a reception for VIPs and a giant block party open to the public.

“The transit center is going to become a historic landmark, and ... we want to acknowledge the significance of that, but we don’t want to hit up taxpayers for the cost,” Falvey said.

According to the sponsorship pitch just sent out by PR consultant Darolyn Davis, the hope is to draw thousands to the center’s rooftop park for “a spectacular festival featuring the Bay Area’s amazing live music, food and drinks, and well-known speakers.”

The first step was to bring on Davis to round up sponsors and to educate the public about the move to the new center. That is costing taxpayers — Davis’ contract with the authority will pay her firm up to $175,000.

Backfire: San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin’s apology for his high-profile slamming of the Fire Department’s handling of a North Beach fire on St. Patrick’s Day evening followed a day of blowback even from his allies.

Mayor Mark Farrell, whom the Board of Supervisors appointed with Peskin’s help — said Monday that the supervisor’s call for Chief Joanne Hayes-White to resign as firefighters were still battling the blaze was “one of the most inappropriate things you can do.”

Peskin’s on-the-scene criticism drew a sharp response from his longtime supporters in the firefighters union as well.

“Firefighters are furious,” said Local 798 President Tom O’Connor. “They charged right into a burning building to save lives.”

Peskin had been dining in nearby Chinatown when word came of the fire. After arriving at the scene, he told reporters that he was shocked that no one was pouring water on the fire. The chief explained that firefighters were battling the blaze from the inside first and looking for victims.

Peskin called the department’s response “an abject failure.” Asked if he thought the chief should resign, he said, “Absolutely. It starts at the top.”

On Tuesday, however, his office issued a statement from Peskin saying it had been inappropriate to raise his concerns at the scene and that he apologized to Hayes-White.

Peskin might want to also apologize to the chief for the call she finally took from him as she was driving to the fire. From what we hear, it was a blast of fury — of the four-letter kind.