$14 Million VTA Project Breaks Ground Near Transit Station In Santa Clara

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA – A $14 million project that broke ground today is expected to extend a tunnel at the Santa Clara transit station that city, county and transportation leaders hope will help encourage more commuters to use public transit.

"This project is closing a gap. What it is doing as well is connecting two vibrant corridors," Santa Clara Valley Transportation Agency CEO Nuria Fernandez said at today's groundbreaking ceremony next to the Santa
Clara station.

The project will help serve as a bridge between two major transportation hubs, the transit station and Mineta San Jose International Airport, and all of the roads in between, Fernandez said.

The new infrastructure will help pedestrians and bicyclists gain access to Caltrain, Altamont Corridor Express and Capitol Corridor trains, as well as bus stops and El Camino Real, VTA officials said.

The tunnel will also provide more connections to Santa Clara University and Avaya Stadium, the San Jose Earthquakes' home arena on Coleman Avenue in San Jose, Fernandez said.

Construction crews will extend the station's existing undercrossing below three Union Pacific railroad tracks by 80 feet and build a 250-foot ramp from the tunnel to Brokaw Road, according to VTA officials.

The station is also the final planned stop for BART Silicon Valley's second phase that spans 6 miles, VTA officials said.

Construction on the undercrossing is scheduled from Nov. 23 to Nov. 28, when three tracks will be closed for crews to excavate and cut 200 feet of railway, agency officials said.

Work will continue on the undercrossing and ramp, which are expected to open in the summer, according to the agency.

Many people have questioned why the existing tunnel that connects travelers to the northbound platform couldn't be extended since it opened in 2012, Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager said.

"This new infrastructure improvement will spur the kind of high density transit-oriented development that our region desperately needs," said Yeager, whose supervisorial district includes Santa Clara.

The project will help Santa Clara expand its trail system and bike lanes, the city's Vice Mayor Teresa O'Neill said.

Once completed, the new connection will cut a 30-minute trip from Santa Clara University to Avaya Stadium to one that takes five minutes by bike, according to Nanci Klein, San Jose's economic development assistant
director.

"This project is an example of closing gaps and making a dent in the existing desert we have in this area in terms of bike and pedestrian infrastructure," Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition executive director Shiloh
Ballard said.

The $13.8 million project cost will draw from Measures A and B, The City of San Jose, State and Federal Sources, Safe Routes to Transit, the Transportation Fund for Clean Air, and Hunter Properties, officials said.

• --Bay City News contributed to this post/Images via VTA. Groundbreaking photo: VTA General Manager and CEO Nuria Fernandez led a group of local VIPs in the groundbreaking ceremony, including County Supervisor Ken Yeager, Santa Clara City Council Member Teresa O’Neill, San Jose Economic Development Assistant Director Nancy Klein, Deke Hunter, of Hunter Properties and Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition Director Shiloh Ballard.