The extension to downtown is a complex and ambitious project facing many challenges and questions about feasibility.
Nico Savidge reports on cost increases and schedule delays for the Bay Area Rapid Transit’s downtown San Jose extension project.
"Last year, [Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority] officials increased the extension’s estimated cost by $900 million and pushed back their timeline for completing it by as much as four years — from a $4.7 billion project finished in 2026 to a $5.6 billion one that could open in 2029 or 2030," says Savidge.
One issue is the single-bore design that will require a very wide tunnel to accommodate two trains. In addition, three underground stations will be 10 stories belowground and high-speed elevators are planned at two stations to transport riders to and from the platforms.
"Perhaps the biggest question, though, is whether BART and VTA will work together effectively, or if the extension’s extra layer of complexity — having one public transit agency build an extension that another will use — will further bog down the complex downtown project," notes Savidge.
FULL STORY: BART’s San Jose extension is woefully delayed, and the hardest part is still to come
South Bay BART Extension Gets $5.1 Billion in Federal Funding
The grant brings the project closer to reality, but delays and cost overruns are putting a completion date more than a decade away.
BART’s Phase II Extension Into San Jose Ready to Go
A long-awaited extension of the Bay Area’s regional rail transit system is finally coming into view, with an expected completion date of 2030.
Change of Plans: Transit Funding Priorities Shift in the Silicon Valley
Santa Clara County cities rebel against the agency's proposed plan to spend most of the Measure B funds on a Silicon Valley BART extension.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association