January 25, 2007 - Silicon Valley Delegation Urges Ctc To Approve Bart Monies

For Immediate Release:
January 25, 2007

Contact: Richard Woonacott
(916) 319-3687

Silicon Valley Delegation Urges CTC To Approve Bart Monies

This week, the members of the Silicon Valley Delegation, led by Assembly Member Jim Beall, Jr. (D - San Jose) delivered a letter to the California Transportation Commission urging them to approve two Traffic Congestion Relief Program (TCRP) allocation requests from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority for the Silicon Valley Rapid Transit Corridor Project.

"Simply put, the people who live and work in the Santa Clara Valley represent a substantial segment of the State's economy and population. More than 2 million people are scattered across the hundreds of square miles that represent the diverse real estate of the Santa Clara Valley. When you put this staggering number together with a regional workforce in excess of 1 million, it is easy to see the need for approval of these allocation recommendations," explained Assembly Member Beall.

The Silicon Valley Rapid Transit Corridor Project consists of a 16-mile extension of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) regional heavy rail system to San Jose, the largest city in the Bay Area and the 10th largest in the country. This project is vital to the future of Silicon Valley and it will

Carry a significant number of passengers, with 2030 ridership currently projected at 111,500 average weekday boardings.
Relieve severe traffic congestion along key travel corridors in the Bay Area, specifically I-880 and I-680.
Accommodate future travel demand. Growth in corridor travel is anticipated to be 52 percent over the next 20 years.
Generate a significant amount of economic activity in the region.
Improve access to employment, education, medical, and retail centers.
Enhance regional connectivity. The project represents the last link needed to complete the connection of all of the region’s rail systems around San Francisco Bay.
Tie together the region’s three major metropolitan centers: San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland.
Maximize public transit usage by provide efficient and convenient passenger connections to the existing BART system, the Altamont Commuter Express, Caltrain Commuter Rail, Capitol Corridor Intercity Rail, Amtrak, Valley Transportation Authority buses and light rail, and California’s proposed high-speed rail system.

The allocation requests are as follows: (1) approximately $151 million reimbursement for 35 percent design pursuant to a Letter of No Prejudice (LONP) that was previously executed between the Commission and the Valley Transportation Authority; and (2) approximately $213.5 million for 65 percent design to be performed on the project over the next two calendar years.

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