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Late last month, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) obtained Federal Transit Administration approval for final environmental clearance for the Central Subway project. The agency wasted no time in advancing the project; on Tuesday, SFMTA's board awarded a $147 million program and construction management contract to the Central Subway Partnership.

A joint venture between AECOM USA Inc. and EPC Consultants, the partnership will oversee the $1.3 billion Central Subway project, which calls for extending the Third Street light-rail line from 4th and King streets to Chinatown. The line will improve regional connections to Caltrain, Bay Area Rapid Transit and the San Francisco Municipal Railway. The line is expected to average 78,000 riders daily by 2030.

Construction is expected to begin in 2010 and be complete in 2016.