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TJPA: Portal revenue service now targeted for 2036 as procurements and funding shift
Summary
Portal Project Director Alfonso Rodriguez told the TJPA board the Portal’s target revenue service date has moved to January 2036 because major construction procurements are delayed and a $25 million grant was withdrawn; staff said they will pursue state competitive awards and other funding to keep the schedule.
Transbay Joint Powers Authority Project Director Alfonso Rodriguez told the board on Oct. 17 that the Portal project’s current target for revenue service is January 2036, a shift he attributed primarily to procurement schedule delays for major construction packages.
"Our target revenue service date to January 2036," Rodriguez said, describing how procurements for major construction packages — notably the heavy civil tunneling contract — and other delivery packages are moving to the right and affecting the overall project schedule.
Rodriguez and other staff outlined next steps to mitigate schedule risk: release of an RFP for the 40CT (progressive design‑build heavy civil/tunneling) procurement before Thanksgiving, continued integrated work with Caltrain delivery staff, and advancing right‑of‑way acquisition and utility relocation tasks. He also noted the team is seeking state multiyear awards to meet matching requirements needed to unlock federal funding.
The executive director and project staff said federal funding opportunities are constrained by the federal government shutdown; earlier in the meeting staff reported USDOT canceled the current Federal‑State Partnership NOFO and the agency had a prior CRISI award withdrawn. Rodriguez said TJPA is also working to backfill the withdrawal of a $25 million grant intended for tracking systems design.
Board members pressed staff on whether any schedule time could be regained. Rodriguez and the executive director replied it is uncommon to move schedules earlier and that progress on critical path items — right‑of‑way, utility relocation and procurement — is what will most affect the timeline.
Next steps: staff said they will continue preparing procurements, pursue state discretionary funding under the reauthorized Cap‑and‑Invest program, and return to the board with recommendations and award actions as procurements conclude.
