Transbay Temporary Terminal To Get Restrooms
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / BCN) -- The Transbay Temporary Terminal will have restrooms for bus riders as soon as next month thanks to a vote Thursday by the group overseeing the project.
The temporary terminal at Howard and Main streets, which has been used since the former Transbay Terminal closed in August, should have restrooms as soon as late February or early March, said Courtney Lodato, spokeswoman for the Transbay Joint Powers Authority.
Restrooms were always part of the plan for the temporary terminal but were not there when it opened because authorities wanted to "maintain security of the facilities," Lodato said.
Dozens of homeless people often camped out at the old Transbay Terminal before it was demolished last year.
After hearing feedback from passengers, and with the terminal project having moved into its second phase last month, the authority's Board of Directors decided now is a good time to put the restrooms in, Lodato said.
The board voted unanimously Thursday to allow passengers to start using the restrooms provided by Alameda-Contra Costa Transit, one of the operators of the terminal, she said.
The restrooms will be locked and only available to bus riders coming into or leaving the terminal. Riders will have to show proof of payment to a security officer, who will open the door to the restroom, Lodato said.
The restrooms will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
"We're excited that we can offer more comfortable amenities for the transit riders there," Lodato said.
The lack of restrooms at the terminal annoyed nearby business owners who often had to handle the crowds of riders.
A new $4 billion Transbay Transit Center is scheduled to open in 2017 at the site of the former terminal, located at First and Mission streets.
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