The Transbay Transit Terminal (TTT) in downtown San Francisco is the busiest terminal on the West Coast. Constructed in 1939 as part of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge railway, the TTT was converted for bus use in 1959. Currently, the Bay Area's four major public bus systems use the structure, as well as Amtrak (bus) and a number of private transit providers. In April 1990 Greyhound Lines moved its San Francisco depot into the TTT. The TTT is adjacent to San Francisco's central business district and at the physical and financial heart of the Bay Area. Many proposals for alternative uses have been made. It was once thought that the construction of the Bay Area Rapid Transit under the bay would render the TTT obsolete. However, the need for the structure and site as a regional transit terminal has been affirmed as transportation problems have become of foremost concern to the people of the region. After years of neglect the California Department of Transportation plans to completely renovate and refurbish the structure. Coupled with the relocation of the Greyhound depot and the planned development of the San Francisco CalTrain terminal adjacent to the TTT, this will allow the structure to become a truly regional transit terminal.
Abstract