advertisement

---

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) recently gave the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's (SFMTA) Central Subway a "medium-high" rating as part of its annual review process for projects competing for federal New Starts funds.

The project is the second phase of SFMTA's Third Street light-rail project, which opened in April 2007. The Central Subway will extend light-rail service under the South of Market, Union Square and Chinatown neighborhoods.

To date, the agency has received $66 million in New Starts funding for the project. In November 2008, the FTA granted SFMTA environmental clearance for the extension, which is set to break ground in 2010 and open in 2018.

The FTA also recently completed a nine-month "Schedule, Cost and Risk Review Analysis" for the project, under which it recommended adding cost and schedule contingencies. As a result, the FTA increased the project budget from $1.3 billion to $1.57 billion and moved the completion date from 2016 to 2018. The FTA also increased its funding support for the Central Subway by $180 million to $942 million.