The grant brings the project closer to reality, but delays and cost overruns are putting a completion date more than a decade away.
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) will contribute over $5 billion to a project that will bring a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) line to Santa Clara, California, reports Joseph Geha for KQED.
Officials from the Silicon Valley city celebrated the announcement, which will contribute significantly to the estimated $12.7 billion cost of the project. “VTA’s origins estimate, in 2014, pegged the cost at $4.7 billion and aimed for a completion date in 2026. As recently as spring 2022, VTA still touted a $6.9 billion estimate before facing multiple schedule delays and ballooning cost increases to the current figure.”
The project has been in the works for close to three decades and is scheduled for completion in 2037. Much of the track will run underground. “As currently planned, the project will extend BART from its current end of the line at Berryessa Station in North San José and will run west to create four new stations: 28th Street/Little Portugal near East San José, Downtown San José, Diridon Station and Santa Clara.”
FULL STORY: Feds Commit $5.1 Billion to South Bay BART Extension
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.
New South Bay BART Stations See Disappointing Ridership
Introduced during the pandemic in an area where many residents now work remotely, the new stations have failed to attract new commuters.
BART San Jose Extension Faces Delays and Ballooning Costs
The extension to downtown is a complex and ambitious project facing many challenges and questions about feasibility.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?
LA’s Tree Emergency Goes Beyond Vandalism
After a vandal destroyed dozens of downtown LA trees, Mayor Karen Bass vowed to replace them. Days later, she slashed the city’s tree budget.
Sacramento Leads Nation With Bus-Mounted Bike Lane Enforcement Cameras
The city is the first to use its bus-mounted traffic enforcement system to cite drivers who park or drive in bike lanes.
Seattle Voters Approve Social Housing Referendum
Voters approved a corporate tax to fund the city’s housing authority despite an opposition campaign funded by Amazon and Microsoft.
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