Celebrating BART at 50: A Critical Link for San Francisco

Celebrating BART at 50: A Critical Link for San Francisco
By Jeremy Menzies

This month, our sister agency BART, celebrates its 50th anniversary. BART service changed transportation in the Bay Area forever, connecting communities in a way that hadn’t been done before. For San Francisco, the construction of BART not only provided new travel options within the city and to the East Bay but also built the Muni Metro system.

Here’s a look at some of BART’s history through the SFMTA’s historic photos.

Image of cutaway drawing showing underground subway with Muni and BART trains insideThis conceptual drawing from around 1960 shows the combined BART and Muni Metro subway underneath Market Street at Powell.

The story of BART goes back decades before the opening in September 1972. It wasn’t until the early 1960s that a plan and funding were in place for BART to come to fruition.

Originally, five counties formed the Bay Area Rapid Transit District. In a 1960 engineering report, proposed route maps showed lines extending both north across the Golden Gate into Marin and south down the Peninsula to Palo Alto. After Marin and San Mateo counties withdrew from the district, a final plan was drawn up to serve mainly the East Bay and San Francisco.

Black and white photo of a line of people digging with shovels in shallow ditch on Market Street

Students with white shovels were on hand for the groundbreaking ceremony for BART/Muni Metro at Market and Powell streets on July 25, 1967.

Groundbreaking on construction for San Francisco’s Market Street Subway took place in July 1967. This construction not only included the main BART stations downtown but also stations for Muni Metro at Church, Castro, and West Portal. Forest Hill Station was modified with new platforms and equipment to fit Muni’s incoming light rail vehicles. The funding and planning power of the BART District brought to life an idea that had been floated since at least 1913.

Color image looking east on Market and Collingwood streets showing excavation with streetcar passing over top of hole in ground

An overhead view looking at the construction of Castro Station in October 1973.

Construction along Market Street was extremely disruptive for the city’s busiest corridor. During construction, Muni streetcars and buses had to navigate constantly shifting reroutes, wooden plank roadways, and sinkholes on top of all the usual street hazards. One of the most dramatic engineering feats was a temporary bridge built over a huge open pit at Collingwood Street. Here, streetcars traveling towards West Portal crossed over top construction on Castro Station to enter the Twin Peaks Tunnel. The temporary ramps built to access the tunnel still exist today and are used for emergency and maintenance needs.

People entering fare gates inside station, some carrying balloons

The first passengers pass through Powell Station fare gates at the opening of BART in the city on November 3, 1973.

BART opened in San Francisco on November 3, 1973. For the first time ever, San Franciscans could travel from downtown to the outer reaches of the city on an underground subway system. Service across the Bay opened ten months later in September 1974. BART gave San Franciscans from Balboa Park to downtown improved access to jobs, shopping, and education as well as connections around the region.

Mayor George Moscone speaking from podium with crowd of people, Ferry Building, and cable car in background

San Francisco Mayor Moscone speaks at the opening of Embarcadero Station at Market and Drumm Streets.

Embarcadero Station, which was not part of the original plan, was built after the main subway. It opened on May 27, 1976, with Mayor George Moscone giving a speech at the end of the California Street cable car line. Today, Embarcadero Station is the busiest in the system, with over 27,000 entries and exits logged in August 2022.

Person dressed as a mime standing next to fare gates holding large replica of Muni Fast Pass transit fare card.

A mime holds up an oversized Muni/BART Fast Pass in Powell Station at the launch of the program on March 24, 1983.

In the early 1980s, Muni and BART partnered to improve transit within the city through a combined Muni/BART monthly Fast Pass. Muni customers could ride BART between Embarcadero and Balboa Park on the same pass, making transfers between the two systems seamless.

Today, BART is a critical part of our regional transportation network. Construction of BART in the mid-century also brought better service to the hundreds of thousands of Muni Metro riders within San Francisco.

As one of our regional transit partners, we congratulate BART on their golden anniversary and look forward to another 50+ years of serving the Bay together!  Read more about BART’s first 50 years and check out some amazing historic documents and a timeline 1947-1991.



Published September 29, 2022 at 03:26AM
https://ift.tt/ba9dCjQ

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Digital Marketing क्या है और इसका Future क्या है ?

Image
Digital Marketing Kya Hai Digital Marketing वह है जिसमे हम अपने मोबाइल और कंप्यूटर जैसे Digital उपकरण के द्वारा अपने Product या Brand को Globally Promote (विश्व स्तर पर बढ़ावा देना) कर सकते है| इसी को हम Digital Marketing या Online Marketing के नाम से जानते है| चलिए आपको सरल भाषा में समझाते है जिससे आपको आसानी से समझ आ जाएगा Meaning Of Digital Marketing Digital (डिजिटल) Digital का मतलब इलेक्ट्रॉनिक और मुख्य रूप से Internet से है जो एक इलेक्ट्रॉनिक नेटवर्क है जिस नेटवर्क का हिस्सा दुनिया का हर वो व्यक्ति है जो किसी भी Digital उपकरण (मोबाइल या कंप्यूटर) के द्वारा Internet का प्रयोग करता है| Marketing (मार्केटिंग) Marketing का शाब्दिक अर्थ है विपणन, नए या पहले से मौजूद प्रोडक्ट या सर्विस की जानकरी मौखिक और लिखित रूप में उपभोक्ताओं (Customer) तक पहुचने की प्रक्रिया Marketing कहलाती हैं| Digital Marketing या Online Marketing अपने Product को Internet के माध्यम से Global Market में लोगो तक पहुँचाने का एक तरीका है, जिस प्रकार से हम यदि Offline Advertising को अख़बार,
Read more

This Weekend: Charity Marathons

Image
This Weekend: Charity Marathons By Schad Dalton Events:  The winter rains have subsided, the holidays are a distant speck in the rearview mirror and it's now the time of year when events around the city become more prevalent. This weekend is a prime example as multiple events are scheduled, including the return of bonfire season at Ocean Beach from March 1 to October 31. Head to Union Square on Saturday for a free pick-your-own tulips event during American Tulip Day . On Sunday, the Hot Air Music Festival celebrates its 11th year with a celebration of contemporary music at the San Francisco  For those looking to support a good cause as well as dive into the frigid waters of the Bay, head up to Aquatic Park for the 2020 Dash and Splash. On Sunday, the 42nd annual Chinese New Year YMCA Run will take place, benefiting the Chinatown YMCA Community Center. Be sure to check out all of the city's free monthly museum days , too, as each weekend presents new opportunities to visit o
Read more

Twin Peaks for All: Survey Results

Image
Twin Peaks for All: Survey Results By Benjamin Barnett Last month, the SFMTA and San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department released a survey seeking public feedback regarding  five proposed roadway options for Twin Peaks Boulevard . San Franciscans responded to the survey, ranked support for each alternative and shared opinions about how the different options met their needs.  The Twin Peaks for All survey was open for almost three weeks and received more than 1,700 responses. This number reflects the high level of interest for this San Francisco park and its future access.   Survey Background Conditions on Twin Peaks Boulevard between Portola Drive and Barnett Avenue before COVID street closures.   The Twin Peaks Boulevard gates were closed early in the pandemic to reduce crowding at the lookout point parking lot. The gates were closed on the north, at Burnett Avenue, and the south, at Portola Drive. Since then, Twin Peaks Park use by hikers, joggers and people on bicycles
Read more