Silicon Valley’s transportation agency wants to increase revenues from its highway express lanes, but advocates say they could save more money by strengthening public transit. VTA serves as Santa Clara County’s public transit operator and congestion management agency, overseeing the county’s highways as well as its buses and light rail. As the agency grapples with...
Silicon Valley transit agency joins regional sales tax effort
After months of deliberation, VTA is joining five major Bay Area transit agencies in supporting a regional funding measure planned for the 2026 ballot. The VTA board of directors on Thursday voted unanimously to opt into Senate Bill 63, which would allow transit agencies or voter initiatives to put a regional half-cent sales tax on...
Silicon Valley transit advocates want VTA to join regional tax proposal
The deadline for Santa Clara County’s public transportation agency to join a regional funding measure is approaching, and transit advocates want to see the South Bay take action. The VTA board of directors is weighing whether to opt into Senate Bill 63, which would allow transit agencies or voter initiatives to put a regional half-cent sales...
West Valley commuters have limited public transit service
Los Gatos resident Kylie Clark wants to be able to rely on public transportation for VTA Citizens Advisory Committee meetings where she serves. But to do that would take her up to two hours each way — time she can’t spare, especially when it takes up to 30 minutes to drive. Clark is one of...
Silicon Valley bike superhighway gets state funding
The state has stepped in to help fund the initial phases of a bicycle superhighway that will make commuting between Santa Clara and East San Jose easier. The California Department of Transportation has awarded VTA a $14 million grant for the Central Bikeway project, a 10-mile stretch of protected bike lanes connecting the Sunnyvale/Santa Clara...
Silicon Valley BART project gets millions in funding, but still short
VTA is finding ways to patch the Silicon Valley BART expansion’s nearly $1 billion budget gap, from extra state funding to restructuring expensive contracts. The California Transportation Commission awarded two grants to the BART expansion project on Thursday and Friday, totaling about $100 million. At the same time, the VTA board of directors has approved...
Silicon Valley BART tunnel launches construction
The whir and thunks of heavy equipment hauling clay and soil from underground could be heard throughout the Newhall Maintenance Yard on Monday, as VTA begins construction on the BART expansion through Silicon Valley. Contractors have been working in the yard 22 hours a day since June 9 pulling bentonite — a clay-like material —...
Can new highway lanes end Los Gatos’ beach traffic nightmare?
A long-awaited project to alleviate Los Gatos beach traffic has received funding — but it’s a drop in the bucket compared to the money needed to address bumper-to-bumper gridlock on summer weekends. The VTA board of directors has allocated $11.3 million for the State Route 17 Corridor Congestion Relief Project as part of its budgets for...
Silicon Valley transit agency looks for solutions to looming deficit
VTA plans to get more aggressive expanding its revenue sources with reserves expected to be depleted by the mid-2030s. The VTA board of directors on June 5 unanimously approved its $599 million budget for fiscal year 2025-26 and a $610 million budget for 2026-27. Deficits up to $14.9 million are expected by 2027. Plans include...
San Jose BART extension faces nearly 2-year delay
Silicon Valley’s long-awaited BART expansion could be delayed for another year and a half while officials consider cutting one of the project’s largest contracts to save costs. VTA wants to look for a new contractor to bore the expansion’s five-mile tunnel, after being unable to reach an agreement with the current contractor, Kiewit Shea Traylor....