SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco’s 1.7-mile Central Subway line, which opened for service earlier this year, has been honored by Engineering News-Record California (ENR California) as the regional publication’s 2023 Northern California Project of the Year.
WSP, a leading engineering, environmental and professional services consultancy, previously recognized by ENR California with the 2023 Best Airport/Transit Project Award, was honored for the firm's work on the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Central Subway project, which extended light rail service to the Chinatown neighborhood for the first time since the F-Stockton streetcar line was discontinued in 1951 and replaced by buses.
The firm designed and provided design support during construction for the three underground stations and as lead designer helped SFMTA complete Phase 2 of the Third Street Light Rail Transit Project.
“We are incredibly proud to be recognized for this outstanding project, which has vastly improved transportation through some of San Francisco’s busiest areas,” said Zylah Doria, WSP project manager for the station design package and assistant vice president. “It showcases the collaboration we had with our joint venture partners, subconsultants and internal staff to find the best solutions for our client’s three new rail stations in downtown SF: Yerba Buena/Moscone, Union Square/Market St. and Chinatown-Rose Pak.”
Central Subway extends the initial 5.6-mile Muni Metro T-Third line through some of San Francisco’s busiest areas, including the Yerba Buena, Union Square and Chinatown neighborhoods. The project team overcame some formidable challenges, including navigation of the constraints posed by existing tunnels under Market Street and moving the existing underground utility infrastructure out of the footprint of the stations.
The ENR California 2023 Best Projects Competition featured 26 Best Projects and 16 Awards of Merit, judged by an independent group of architecture, engineering and construction experts who reviewed 75 projects from California and Hawaii.
ENR California presented the award on Oct. 17 at the Northern California awards ceremony in San Francisco. Central Subway was one of three Northern California projects chosen by judges as finalists for the 2023 Project of the Year honor.
WSP has helped deliver other notable projects in the San Francisco Bay Area in recent years, such as Phase 1 of the T-Third Light Rail Line’s twin, bored tunnels and utilities relocation, ongoing work on the Link 21 cross-bay tunnel, San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge construction, Harvey Milk Terminal at San Francisco International Airport, Salesforce Tower, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)’s Warm Springs Extension, and BART Silicon Valley Phase I.
About WSP in the U.S.
WSP USA is the U.S. operating company of WSP, one of the world’s leading engineering, environment and professional services firms. Recognized on Fast Company’s Brands that Matter List for 2022 as a top Community-Minded Business, WSP in the U.S. brings together engineers, planners, technical experts, strategic advisors and construction management professionals who are dedicated to collaborate in the best interests of serving local communities. WSP designs lasting solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water and environment markets. With approximately 16,000 employees in 300 offices across the U.S., WSP partners with its clients to help communities prosper. wsp.com
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