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SAN FRANCISCO — A plan to transform the Transbay Terminal into a hub for public transportation is expected to be approved this week despite difficulty funding the $904 million project. 

The Bay Area Toll Authority, which will consider the plan, has proposed paying for the new terminal with money from the sale of land in the South of Market area of the city. 

But that, according to Metropolitan Transportation Commission Project Manager Rod McMillan, will raise only about $345 million. Bridge tolls and federal money may provide another $95 million, leaving more than $400 million, plus an estimated $13 million a year to run the terminal. Plans include tearing down the three-level building at First and Mission streets and replacing it with a five-level, glass-walled terminal for buses and trains. 

If the plan is approved Wednesday, it is still uncertain when it would be started and finished. It is expected to snarl traffic and eliminate parking during the two or three years it would take to build.