Some people spend their dog days itching for the return of Starbucks' pumpkin spice lattes (Aug. 25, by the way). But we're antsy for an update on Transbay Transit Center. So we checked in with the project's reps.

The below-grade concrete walls and columns are moving along and, very soon, the building will be emerging and visible from ground level, reps tell us. The mat-slab foundation at the very bottom of the project will be complete by mid-September, and concrete placement work is progressing on the concourse level (the first level below ground, which will host ticketing, retail, and waiting area for trains). Come late 2017, when Phase 1 is completed, the transit center will include retail, a rooftop park, and bus ramps. Above, superintendent Monique Hawn gave us a sidewalk tour of the project back in late June.

Yesterday, we snapped the project (we can almost hear the buses coming). The area west of First Street will have the below-grade concrete and concourse completed in preparation for the first structural steel delivery—this means the project is in good shape for when the project's all-American steel is set to arrive in October. In late September, Skanska (the steel fabricator and erector) will deliver a large crane to the site that will be used to rig and hoist the steel, which will take about a week to set up and make ready for use.