BART Canopy Project Completed

Ribbon-cutting ceremony launches multi-station initiative

San Leandro, Calif.: Bay Area Rapid Transit and San Francisco Metropolitan Transit Authority revealed their first updated canopy station with a ribbon cutting on Tuesday, November 13.  The event publicly marked the agencies’ initiative to update street level access to 24 stations in the area.

SilMan won the contract for this project in 2016. The scope of the project included two stations: Powell Street and Civic Center.  This undertaking was particularly important to the agencies involved to establish design, specification and construction standards for the remaining 22 projects.

“This project was a perfect fit for us,” said Alex Breitenbach, project manager for SilMan Industries. The renovation required excavation of decades of civic and commercial development below the surface, as well as interaction with three separate agencies. “Since 95% of the work was performed by in-house resources, we were able to quickly adapt to the constantly changing circumstances on the ground,” he continued.

Scenes from the BART Ribbon-Cutting Event

agency managers pose at new subway station opening
professionals pose for a photo at opening of subway station
construction managers pose at new subway station
police officers at public event
public official speaks at open of subway station
cameraman films public official at event
attendees at opening of subway station
architect and builders review project

More about the Canopy Project

The new design has been hailed by BART for its improvements to safety and performance when accessing rail services.  For more details about design features and BART’s ambitions for the initiative, here is their press release for the event.

The vast majority of SilMan’s work took place between 10:00pm and 6:00am.  The project is full of colorful moments interfacing with nocturnal San Francisco culture.  “We never knew what situations would be encountered each day,” remarked Scott Wattenbarger, site supervisor for SilMan.

“We are very grateful for the constant support of Police and Fire personnel for helping the team keep our focus on daily results,” he added.

The night crew has been featured in a video created by SilMan.

About SilMan

SilMan Industries (previously SilMan Construction) is based in San Leandro, Calif. The firm operates in three divisions: Construction, Logistics and Site Services.  Founded in 2008, SilMan provides integrated solutions in the Industrial, Manufacturing, Distribution and Public Works sectors, and is currently active in 27 states.  SilMan shares many characteristics of their neighboring Bay Area Start-ups, in particular, a flat title-less hierarchy, and embracing diversity as a strategic asset. For more information, please visit www.silmanindustries.com.