Two major projects completing the ring of rail around San Francisco Bay advanced in recent weeks. The $12.75B project to bring BART from Berryessa to downtown San Jose and Santa Clara broke ground. The project is now estimated to start rail service in 2036. The groundbreaking took place before VTA received a commitment from the […]
On Friday, VTA announced that the federal government would fund $5.1Billion toward the BART Silicon Valley project, about 41% of the cost of the project, currently estimated at $12.7 billion. This leaves a gap of $1.2Billion from the amount that VTA had been requesting, and a gap of $700million to complete the project, following the
In May, following requests from the BART board and San Jose City Council the VTA board agreed to move forward with two parallel review processes to investigate opportunities to improve the project, looking the potential for: Entrances on both sides of the street – important for passenger access and safetyBetter, easier passenger access to station
At this evening’s VTA board meeting, in the agenda item to approve the first stage of the major construction contracts for the BART Silicon Valley Extension (item 7.7), Mayor Liccardo has submitted a memo calling for reviews of the project to explore important improvements to rider experience and the urban fabric of San Jose, including:
On December 7, multiple public commenters spoke in support of the memo from San Jose Mayor and colleagues seeking welcome improvements to rider experience and urban design including additional station entrances and better transit connections, and urging review compared to the previously studied twin bore design, which would make it easier to solve the problems.
On December 2, the BART board supported a review of the BART Silicon Valley project to assess the current design against the twin-bore alternative studied in the EIR that may be able to deliver better rider experience and safety at lower cost. Directors Saltzman and Li expressed concerns about the ballooning cost estimates for the
This afternoon, San Jose City Council will discuss the project bringing BART to San Jose. Mayor Sam Liccardo authored a memo joined by colleagues Jones, Peralez and Davis urging VTA to take steps to improve the projects from the perspective of urban design and transit connections. The memo elevates a number of needs that have
