BART earthquake safety construction program moving forward

Starting in October and continuing for the next five years, construction crews will descend on BART stations to strengthen them to withstand a massive earthquake. The BART Board of Directors has awarded one of the first in a series of construction contracts that will strengthen the columns that hold up stations, parking garages and elevated tracks.

"Our $1.3 billion Earthquake Safety Program is on-time and on-budget,” BART Board President Gail Murray said, noting that U.S. Geological Survey geologists say there’s a 63% chance of one or more 6.7 magnitude or greater earthquakes striking the Bay Area between now and the year 2032. "We’re in a race against time to complete the work before the next big one hits.”

BART has already begun strengthening parts of the underwater Transbay Tube, but that construction work has largely been invisible to the public.  “This work that’s about to start will be much more visible to the public because construction crews will be working in and around stations and parking lots,” Murray said.

The Board awarded a $4,950,235 contract to William P. Young Construction Inc. in San Leandro to strengthen the columns that hold up Rockridge Station and its elevated tracks.  Work should begin in November and last a little over a year. "This work should not affect train service," said BART Director Bob Franklin, who represents Rockridge Station. "However,  some of the columns that hold up the elevated trackway are in the parking lot, so we will have to adjust parking.  We will keep in close contact with our customers and the community to make sure they know how it will affect them."

BART recently awarded contracts to strengthen columns and perform other retrofits at Lake Merritt,  MacArthur and Muni’s Church Street Station, which BART owns. BART plans to award contracts to strengthen elevated tracks in north and west Oakland, as well as at West Oakland Station in the coming months.

CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE:

OCTOBER 2008
MacArthur Station & Muni’s Church St. Station

NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2008
Rockridge Station, West Oakland Station, elevated tracks in north Oakland & parking garages in Daly City, El Cerrito del Norte, Concord, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek and Hayward

EARLY 2009
Daly City Station, Lake Merritt Station

EARTHQUAKE SAFETY PROGRAM ON-TIME, ON-BUDGET

In 2004, voters passed Measure AA – a $980 million bond that pays the majority of the cost of BART’s $1.2 billion Earthquake Safety Program. The program will retrofit the Transbay Tube, stations and nearly 2,000 columns by 2013.

For more information on BART's Earthquake Safety Program visit www.bart.gov/earthquakesafety.