MTC Unveils New Office Building Completed Way Over-Budget
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The price of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's shiny, new San Francisco office has sky-rocketed to more than a quarter-billion dollars, roughly $90 million more than originally estimated.
It'll house MTC, the agency in charge of toll money and other major transit projects, and up to three other agencies.
After being serenaded by drag queen Donna Sachet, politicos cut the ribbon on the new $257 million metro center to house the Bay Area's ever growing transit planning bureaucracy Wednesday.
MTC chairman Dave Cortese said this is a huge step for regional cooperation.
Huge is right, with eight stories of offices and chat spaces, complete with coffee bars, outdoor patio, a new high-tech commission meeting room and its own state of the art TV control center, it's huge.
And like so many transportation projects, it went way over budget.
From $167 million to $257 million.
"You get started pulling things apart and the next thing you know there is a little bit more to do," Cortese explained.
In this case, about $90 million more.
Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty said that he has been "concerned" about the project, but said "ultimately I think the building's proved to be working well."
$257 million spent, and what do we get for that?
Well, Muni isn't going to be getting any less crowded and BART is still going to ask taxpayers for $3.5 billion to keep it running. And bridge tolls will likely be going up as well.
"It gets the best planners all in the same space," Cortese said.
In all, some 1,200 public employees and tech company workers are expected to call the new center home.