Committee backs interagency agreement to support Transbay DTX project

The Budget & Finance Committee on June 9 voted to forward to the full Board a proposed 10-year interagency cooperation agreement between the City and the Transbay Joint Powers Authority to support Phase 2 of the Transbay program, the downtown rail extension (DTX).

Lee Lutensky of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development told the committee the TJPA is leading Phase 2, which will build a 1.3-mile rail tunnel connecting the Salesforce Transit Center to the current Caltrain terminal at Fourth and King Streets and will bring Caltrain and California high-speed rail into downtown San Francisco. The proposed agreement would memorialize city department scopes of work over a 10-year term, allow TJPA to reimburse city departments for third-party design review and coordination tasks, and create a framework for interagency cooperation during planning, design and construction.

Vice Chair Rafael Mendelmann praised the proposal, urged unified city engagement across permit and planning processes, and asked to be added as a co-sponsor. No in-person public commenters registered on the item. The committee voted to forward the agreement to the full Board with a positive recommendation; the roll call showed three "aye" votes.

The agreement must be approved by the Board and the mayor before it takes effect.