The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which operates the Municipal Railway (Muni), and contractor Synergy Project Management Inc, will begin utility relocation for the Union Square/Market Street area on Jan. 31. This will require relocating all underground utilities from the street to underneath the sidewalks along Stockton Street.

The “Utility Relocation & Moscone Station Portal contract” was awarded to Synergy Project Management Inc., a San Francisco company, for $9.3 million.

The SFMTA anticipates that construction on Stockton Street and on nearby streets will continue through June 2012. The Central Subway utility relocation is part of the $1.58 billion Central Subway project, Phase 2 of the Third Street Light Rail Project.

The Union Square utility relocation work includes moving underground utilities from under the street to under the sidewalk. Sidewalks along Stockton Street will be removed in phases for this work. At the end of the utility relocation work, the sidewalks will be restored with temporary standard city concrete sidewalks in anticipation of the future Central Subway Union Square station construction. The removal of utilities from underneath the street allows for the future excavation of the subway station without impacting utility service for nearby residents and businesses.

The first section of the utility relocation began with 4th Street last January. The finishing work on that portion of the project between Bryant and Howard streets will be completed by the end of April. This work prepares the street and surrounding area for the construction of the Moscone Station and the subway portal under I-80.

The Central Subway has received $72 million in New Starts federal funding to date. Environmental clearance of the project was granted by the FTA in November 2008, while approval to begin final design was granted last January. The total project cost (with contingency) is expected to be $1.57 billion, with the federal government contributing close to $1 billion. The Central Subway is scheduled to open to the public in 2018.