On June 8, AGC of California members toured the Transbay Transit Center project for the fourth consecutive year.


challenges that can be expected on a public project of this scope. Among the biggest:


  Constructing the project in a dense, urban environment is an ongoing challenge. Laydown area for materials and staging is scarce, traffic flow must be maintained, and impacts to surrounding residents must be minimized.


  Te project’s logis- tical complexity is heightened by its location in a high-rise corridor. Te project team has needed to coordinate with many other neigh- boring projects that are underway simultaneously in this booming San Francisco neighborhood.


North America for such a large project. Te design incorporates 3.5 million pounds of steel castings spread over 75 different cast node geometries, each ranging in weight from 6,000 to 45,000 pounds. BIM technology was instrumental in ensuring the unique geometry of each of the steel assemblies was designed and fabricated correctly and could be assembled right the first time in the field.


Mitigating Risk Through Leadership Team


Te Transbay Transit Center’s sheer


  Managing and coordinating the workflow of the myriad companies and materials arriving every day from around the country has been a sizeable challenge. Te project is putting in place about $1 million of work daily according to Turchon, with an estimated 700-800 workers on site at peak construction.


  Working through the construction cost escalation associated with an extremely busy local market, where it must compete with neighboring projects for subs, suppliers and local labor, required the owner to make difficult budget decisions and seek cost containment solutions.


size, scope and multi-year schedule created a natural learning curve for the project management team. While they utilized formal Partnering once the major construction was underway, it quickly became apparent that a core leadership team was needed to provide oversight and accelerate decision making, Turchon said. TJPA created a formal Project Leadership Team (PLT) comprised of representatives from each of the major stakeholders. Teir charge: to quickly resolve issues as they cropped up, manage project risk, and mitigate any impediments to the project’s forward progress. Te Leadership Team functions as


  Te Transit Center’s architecturally exposed, geometrically complex design employs a cast steel as opposed to conventional fabrication – a relatively new application in


10 September/October 2017


a risk manager and “watchdog group” of sorts. “If you think of the overall project as a river flowing downstream, there are always these little eddies off in the corner that issues can get stuck in and that can bog down a project like this,” Turchon said. “Whether it’s a


The distinctive, geometrical pattern of the new Transit Center’s undulating spun cast steel exterior framework “floats” above the street on angled steel columns.


California Constructor


submittal that can’t get to an approval or a mockup that just doesn’t seem to be getting to the finish line, the PLT has been really helpful in identifying issues and keeping things moving along, and just making sure everyone keeps rowing in the same direction.” In the end, that approach has paid


off. “When we look back at all the


challenges that have been thrown at them, and at the fact we’re still holding the full bus service schedule of Spring 2018, that’s a huge testament to this team,” Turchon added. “A lot of hard work has gotten us to this point, and in the end, it’s a project we will all be incredibly proud to have been a part of.” 


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