$5B Committed to Silicon Valley BART Extension Project’s Final Phase

Courtesy of VTA

SAN FRANCISCO – The FTA has committed a grant totaling more than $5 billion for the final phase of the Silicon Valley BART Extension project.

VTA’s General Manager/CEO Carolyn Gonot said, “This is very big news, not just for VTA, not just for the project, but for the entire community, the entire valley, the entire Bay Area region.”

In a press conference that took place on August 2, Gonot said of a letter from the FTA acting as a notice of the funding, “It talked about their belief that VTA has the ability to deliver this $12.7 Billion dollar project. Not every agency gets that letter.”

The release from the VTA says that the Extension “still must fill” a funding gap that has yet to be identified as of reporting. Over a 60-day period, the VTA will freeze new spending, and the agency can renegotiate existing contracts to cover the shortfall. This will happen before applying for the Full Funding Grant Agreement with the FTA.

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who also sits on the VTA Board, said, “It’s the people of Santa Clara County who got us to this point and enabled us to go secure this historic federal match, because time and time again when our community leaders went out there and asked our community, are you willing to tax yourselves, sacrifice for future generations for our economic growth and prosperity and opportunity for all, our community said yes over and over and over again.”

Additionally, VTA Board Chair and Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez said, “This is the second largest investment that the federal government has made in any single transportation project in the country’s history.”