San Jose BART Extension: San Jose’s eagerly anticipated BART extension received a significant boost this week as the Metropolitan Transportation Commission approved $375 million in state funding. This infusion of cash provides a much-needed financial lift to the future megaproject, which has faced challenges due to economic pressures from inflation.
The funds, directed from the state’s transportation infrastructure funds, bolster the finances of the BART extension, a six-mile route slated to add four stations. Recent economic pressures had led to a major cost increase and timeline delay for the project, now estimated at $12.2 billion, doubling the original projection, and expected to open in 2036, a decade longer than initially planned.
This injection of funds not only shores up local financing but also helps secure crucial federal funding, a promising development for the project’s completion. San Jose’s Mayor Matt Mahan and Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, both members of the commission, expressed their optimism about the funding, highlighting its significance in moving the BART project forward.
Local funding, largely sourced from sales tax measures, accounts for a substantial portion of the project’s financing. The recent funding approval from the state aligns with the efforts to secure the final segment of federal funding necessary to extend BART through Silicon Valley.
The BART extension, considered one of the most expensive transportation infrastructure projects in the country, will create a U-shaped rail service, connecting north San Jose, downtown, and Santa Clara. Notably, the project includes a 4.7-mile underground path beneath San Jose, marked as the largest single-bore transit tunnel project in America. Delays, largely attributed to extensive prep work for tunneling and rising construction material prices, have extended the project’s timeline by 26 months and incurred additional costs of $1.1 billion.
In response to the recent challenges, an oversight committee, featuring key members including Mahan and Chavez, will collaborate with the transit agency’s auditor general to address the project’s cost overruns and delays. This proactive approach aims to ensure transparency and accountability, furthering the project’s progress as it advances toward completion.
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