BART’s expansion through Silicon Valley is taking shape as pre-construction work gets underway in Santa Clara. VTA workers have started on-site preparations for phase two of BART’s expansion at the Newhall Maintenance Facility. That includes setting up temporary field offices, bringing in equipment and preparations to begin drilling the tunnel. The 6-mile extension, most of...
Transportation
Transportation
San Jose airport adapts to new world of travel
Ridership is climbing back up across Bay Area airports after COVID-19 sent traffic plummeting, and the battle for airway dominance is intensifying. Oakland officials this week approved renaming its airport to include “San Francisco” in the title, provoking a lawsuit from the region’s dominant competitor across the bay, San Francisco International. But it also raises...
Silicon Valley cities work with transit agency on safer route to school
A partnership between multiple cities and a Silicon Valley transit agency is going to construct a long-needed safer route for students biking and walking to school. The Homestead Safe Routes to School project aims to make traveling to school easier for students attending Cupertino Middle School, Homestead High School and West Valley Elementary School by...
Sunnyvale’s ride-share proposal would help disadvantaged residents
Sunnyvale residents may soon have a new ride-share option that costs less than an Uber and is more convenient than existing public transit. After overwhelming support from residents, the Sunnyvale City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to apply for grants and partner with Silicon Valley Hopper (SV Hopper) — a ride-share service that operates for less...
Voters could decide future Bay Area public transit funding
Future funding for Bay Area public transit agencies could be left up to voters as part of a massive system overhaul. State Sens. Aisha Wahab, whose district covers Sunnyvale and Milpitas, and Scott Wiener of San Francisco have introduced Senate Bill 1031, calling for a 2026 ballot measure to provide more financial support to Bay...
Cupertino plans safety upgrades for road and pedestrian bridge
One of the West Valley’s most beloved trails is set to bridge a gap in its infrastructure, thanks to a boost from federal funding. Silicon Valley Rep. Ro Khanna has secured $850,000 to make Cupertino’s McClellan Road — a vital east-west connector in the city — safer and more accessible to pedestrians. In addition to...
San Jose’s new airport director lands Monday
San Jose’s airport is getting a new director with three decades of experience, including gigs at major hubs in Denver and Austin. Starting Monday, Mukesh “Mookie” Patel will take over as the city’s director of aviation at San Jose Mineta International Airport, the city announced this week. “Our next airport director has big shoes to fill,”...
Cost of San Jose BART extension balloons — again
The VTA megaproject to bring BART to downtown San Jose and Santa Clara, with a cost estimate that’s already ballooned to more than two and a half times its original target, is now facing yet another increase and timeline delay. Officials said this week the six-mile extension project for the rail line is expected to...
East San Jose to get long overdue light rail extension
South Bay transit leaders have approved a major contract to get construction underway on a long-planned light rail extension project in East San Jose. The VTA board of directors on Thursday unanimously approved awarding a $437 million construction contract to a joint venture of two companies to build the Eastridge to BART Regional Connector. The...
East San Jose light rail extension faces critical vote
A critical light rail extension project more than two decades in the making is set to begin major construction by April, if transit leaders give it a final OK. The Eastridge to BART Regional Connector, held up as a significant piece in addressing longstanding transit inequities in the area, is desperately needed, the transit agency...