The Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit), following month’s long appraisals and review, announced the restoration of Transbay Bus Line service to the Salesforce Transit Center beginning August 11.

Bus Operator training pacing ahead of forecasted schedules, and the Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA) construction crews making advancements in the reinstallation of bus deck interior finishes — columns, posts, floors, walls, and ceiling treatments — has accelerated AC Transit’s return date, according to the agency.

“Following last year’s discovery of fissures in the steel beams supporting the bus deck, the AC Transit Board of Directors demanded assurances that repairs of the beams would be unequivocally safe and sound,” said AC Transit Board President, Joe Wallace. “The findings presented to our Board provided robust certainties that support restoring service to our 13,000 daily Transbay riders.”

In addition to the nationally recognized five-member Peer Review Committee, empaneled by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), AC Transit performed its internal review of the steel beam remediation.

“Our engineering staff members observed installation, monitored physical inspections, reviewed girder fabrication, design stresses, and inspection reports of the girders at Fremont and First Streets,” said Michael Hursh, General Manager. “This comprehensive analysis was the foundation I needed to assure that our Bus Operators, Service Employees, Mechanics, and Road Supervisors are indeed safely working in a world-class transit center.”

Transbay lines will once again bypass congested San Francisco surface streets by traveling the dedicated bus ramp.

Twenty-seven bus bays, dedicated exclusively to AC Transit, allows the agency to better accommodate the popularity of Transbay Bus Lines and double-deck coaches. Recommissioning the transit center also restores the first of its kind Bus Storage Facility (BSF). The BSF is located adjacent to the Salesforce Transit Center and helps the agency to reduce fuel consumption, maintenance costs, and greenhouse gases.