Transportation Secretary Buttigieg tours SF Central Subway as work finally wraps up
SAN FRANCISCO – Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was in San Francisco on Thursday to tour the new Central Subway, as work on the long-delayed line finally wraps up.
About four years behind schedule, the finish line is a welcome sight for Chinatown business owners.
"We make a lot of these," said Henry Chen of AA Bakery & Cafe, watching the production of delicacies in his back kitchen. "15 to 20 trays every day."
For Chen's business, things are finally looking up. The Moon Festival is bringing in customers and a longtime drag on business is winding down.
"Eight years," Chen told KPIX 5 of the construction delays. "Eight years."
The owner of Yummy Dim Sum says Central Subway construction almost took his business under.
"So with all the construction going on, it really hurt business," the owner said. "With all the noise and blockades, with construction trucks parking in front of the doors."
At a gathering outside the Chinatown station, Mayor London Breed said, "I want to recognize city staff, many who have worked tirelessly to plan and build this project. And, thank the community, for their patience during the many, many years of construction."
City leaders and the US Transportation Secretary acknowledged the delays, promising the new line will bring transit improvements that will be worth the wait.
"One of my favorite things about transportation projects is that good ones make skeptics into believers," said Buttigieg. "Seeing is believing, and when you get that benefit it is something that everyone is glad for."
For those who suffered through years of disruption, optimism is growing as business owners start to envision some potential payoff, just down the line.
"The good thing, you know, is that our station connects to Moscone Center," Chen said. "To Union Square."
"If the station opens soon then it will bring more business to Chinatown," said the owner of Yummy Dim Sum. "And help businesses out a lot."
As for when trains start rolling, all Muni will say is that construction is done, and an opening date is coming this fall.
