Federal Grant a Boon for BART to San Jose Extension
The power of public private partnerships was on full display this week when the Federal Transit Administration announced $125 million in funding to support the extension of BART to San Jose. The announcement is a big win for regional transportation and the coalition of public and private leaders, including San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, Silicon Valley Leadership Group CEO Carl Guardino, state Sen. Jim Beall Jr., the Valley Transportation Authority and many others, who advocated for the funding.
“Institutions, as well as individuals, put their wallets where their words are, and this step by the Federal Transit Administration clearly signals their ongoing enthusiasm about the BART extension, regardless of political party or administration,” Guardino said. “The nonpolitical FTA has always enthusiastically endorsed this extension.”
The project will extend BART to the new Diridon Station in downtown San Jose near where Google is planning a massive new transit-oriented campus with 25,000 employees. The funding represents an important chunk of the overall $5.6 billion project costs and lays the groundwork for additional federal dollars that will be matched with a variety of state, local and regional funds.
