Secretary Foxx visits BART Silicon Valley work site
Written by Kyra Senese, Managing Editor
Secretary Foxx toured the BART Silicon Valley work site as construction wraps up.
SCVTA
U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx visited the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (SCVTA) Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Silicon Valley Phase 1 construction site this week to observe how the $900 million investment in the project by the Federal Transit Administration is being put to use.
Officials say the first 10 miles of the BART extension will begin a year-long test phase in the next several weeks, completing the construction phase months earlier than expected. Passenger service on the line is set to begin running in the fall of 2017.
“We’re finding that in areas where the population is growing exponentially, having the transportation options available so that [people] can bike, walk or use public transit in addition to using the automobile is how we’re going to get around in the 21st Century,” Secretary Foxx said. “We’re building the future here. This isn’t just a five or 10-year project, this is a 50-, 60-, 70-year project.”
Secretary Foxx also commented on the challenges faced nationwide in terms of addressing transportation needs and necessary funding.
“In terms of funding, are we meeting our challenges? No, we’re not meeting our challenges. But what you’re doing here by investing in yourselves and competing favorably against other parts of the country for precious federal transportation dollars is and should be instructive to the rest of the country,” Secretary Foxx said. “It’s a great model for success.”
Secretary Foxx also toured the future Phase 2 alignment with U.S. Rep. Mike Honda by bus, where he was informed about four future stations that are in the planning stages and the developments surrounding them.
“I want you to know how incredible it is to see a region coming together, putting skin in the game to help advance its transportation mobility needs,” Foxx said later the same day at a press conference, where he was joined by additional congressional leaders and transportation experts. “What you have done in terms of defining the future and figuring out how to address those mobility issues, putting your money on the table and partnering with the federal government is a success story that I hope will continue being told long into the future.”
