Contractor for San Jose tunnel now wants to implement a number of ‘innovations’

Original plans for a light rail extension running through San Jose might be scratched.

BART

The prime contractor for a BART light rail extension project wants to do some unstacking.

Approved plans for the line that will start in Berryessa, go through downtown San Jose, and then northwest to Santa Clara call for tunnels to be stacked on top of each other creating a single 43-ft-wide tunnel section. Now, however, VTA contractor Kiewit Shea Traylor wants to place two sets of track side by side with a 48-ft-wide tunnel.

The original work was estimated to cost as much as $9.1 billion, but officials are not sure if the change will save money or spend more of it. Kiewit Shea Traylor also has other “innovations” in mind for the project.

VTA said a single-bore tunnel option would be less disruptive to businesses because it would call for less work on the road above and could eliminate some utility relocation.

Results of an independent review of the two tunnel options are expected to be released in the coming weeks.

Full-blown construction activities could begin by 2024, and the project could be finished in 2030. However, a recent federal report that placed the cost estimate at $9.1 billion due to potential issues with the tunnel construction and rising costs noted the project might not be done until 2034.

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