Transportation

Transportation

BART funding pulled from stimulus bill

Congress pulled a $141 million grant for a Bay Area Rapid Transit extension into Silicon Valley from their $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus bill Tuesday. The grant would have eased the burden that the project places on local funds—revenues that have tumbled in the face of COVID-19-related closures. But local officials noted they didn’t expect losing...

VTA ponders shifting public comment, advocates cry foul

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority deferred voting on a proposal to limit time for public comment on Thursday, following outcry from transit advocates. VTA’s Governance and Audit Committee — Morgan Hill Mayor Rich Constantine, Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, Sunnyvale Vice Mayor Glenn Hendricks and San Jose councilmembers Chappie Jones and Raul Peralez...

Biden’s stimulus plan would give $140M to new BART stations

BART could get a $140 million grant to begin the second phase of construction on a South Bay transit project — more than four decades in the making — from the latest COVID-19 stimulus package, if Congress passes the Biden-backed bill. The latest COVID-19 stimulus package passed the House early Saturday morning in Washington along...

VTA faces a sea of change, tough recruitment process following Fernandez’s departure

Transit experts say it could be months before Valley Transportation Authority selects a permanent leader to replace former CEO and general manager Nuria Fernandez — who recently left her post to join the Biden administration. Following Fernandez’s Jan. 19 resignation, local leaders foresee an uncertain future for VTA and possible changes in transit initiatives across...

Santa Clara County transit leader Nuria Fernandez joins Biden administration

Santa Clara County’s own Nuria Fernandez resigned from the Valley Transportation Authority today to serve in the U.S. Department of Transportation under the Biden-Harris administration. “Now I will be stepping into a national role that is bigger and broader yet will have profound impacts at the local level,” Fernandez, VTA’s CEO and general manager, said...

San Jose transit agencies to receive millions in federal COVID-19 relief

Bay Area transit officials this month will decide how to allocate $975 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to local transit agencies, including the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA). “In the lens of the pandemic, it allows essential workers to keep their jobs and save money,” said Daniel Huynh, a member of Silicon Valley...