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Bay Area Rapid Transit's (BART) 8.7-mile extension to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) will not open at month's end as originally expected, said General Manager Tom Margro in a statement issued Jan. 3.



Contractor Tutor-Saliba/Slattery, which had expected to finish the extension by fall, is "98 percent to 99 percent complete and has encountered no major problems," Margro said. Although BART in July had announced the extension would open at January's end, "it is simply taking [the firm] a bit longer than scheduled," he said.



Before setting a specific opening date, the contractor must put the finishing touches on the project and complete systems testing; BART then will conduct pre-revenue testing. The $1.5 billion SFO extension includes four new stations and an advanced automatic train control system.



Meanwhile, BART increased fares 5 percent Jan. 1 to help offset a rising deficit that the agency said is the result of "the current economic downturn," and to pay the extra costs of post-Sept. 11 security measures.



Most riders will incur one-way fare increases of five to 10 cents, with a maximum increase of 25 cents, BART said.