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Public speakers urge board to halt Pagoda extension of Central Subway, cite rising cost and contingency shortfalls
Summary
Multiple public commenters urged the board to stop the planned Pagoda tunnel extension through North Beach and to pause use of tunnel-boring machine extraction in Columbus Avenue, saying the change could save roughly $7020million and noting contingency shortfalls in project budgets.
Several members of the public used general comment time at the June 4 Board meeting to press the board and San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) for changes to the Central Subway project and to oppose the Pagoda/Pagoda Palace extension through North Beach.
Lance Karnes and other community members said the proposed location for removing tunnel-boring machines near the Pagoda Theatre would create significant construction impacts facing Washington Square Park and North Beach residents and business owners. They urged the city to stop the extension and to limit the project to Chinatown station, saying that would reduce local disruption and save city funds.
Howard Wong of SaveMunity.com and other commenters cited project cost concerns and contingency reductions in SFMTA documents. Wong referenced independent oversight reports and wrote that contingency funds had dropped to roughly 320percent of project costs, below Federal Transit Administration guidance, and highlighted a large contractor change-order gap. Several speakers repeated an estimate that halting the Pagoda option could save about $7020million to $7920million in local funds.
Other residents echoed concerns that the publicly funded project is over budget and urged board members to use fiscal prudence. Speakers requested the board re-examine the extension, project contingencies, and the deconfliction of local impacts before committing additional local resources.
The comments were delivered during the public comment period; supervisors did not take immediate action on the project during the meeting but several supervisors later referenced fiscal shortfalls for the Central Subway project during roll calls and introductory remarks elsewhere in the agenda.
