Here's what the new Powell Street BART bathrooms look like

SAN FRANCISCO - It's not often we see a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a restroom but that's what happened in San Francisco.

A long sheet of toilet paper stood-in for the ribbon at the Powell Street BART station Wednesday afternoon.

All the hoopla for the bathroom reopening was because BART closed the restrooms at underground stations after the Sept. 11 terror attacks iin 2001. 

Now, more than 20 years later, the two restrooms at Powell Street are the first to reopen.

They include touchless sinks outside for people who just want to wash their hands. There's also a drinking fountain and water bottle filling station.

Janice Li, the BART board vice president, said she hoped that this would encourage riders to return as the crime rate is going down and "more resources are devoted to cleaning our stations and trains."

The restrooms will be staffed with attendants for at least two months.

BART officials say bathrooms at the 19th Street station in downtown Oakland will reopen Feb. 25. 

The Lake Merritt and Montgomery Street stations could open by summer.