☆ BART SJ extension still not funded, even after $5bn from feds
Image by Wikimedia Commons
Local pols are trying to put some lipstick on it, with photo ops and happy signs. But if you read local media closely, you'll realize that the deeply troubled BART-to-SJ line extension remains not fully funded—mostly because the Biden administration didn't give BART and VTA as much funding as requested. Marc Joffe of the Cato Institute explains in this Opp Now exclusive.
Opportunity Now: After all this time, all these cost overruns, and all this money, how short is BART-to-SJ from being funded?
Marc Joffe: The fed contribution was $1.2 bn less than BART and VTA hoped. They asked for $6.3 billion, and they got $5.1 billion. They're still $700m short, after taking an additional $500m from Measure A (2000) sales tax funds.
ON: Why didn't feds give them all they asked for?
MJ: One thing to remember is that the Federal Transportation Authority (FTA) has a limited budget. They get an annual appropriation. They got extra money from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. But the money's not unlimited. So they have to make choices. If they spend too much money on one project, they'll have less for other projects.
It's probably also fair to point out that the FTA had been given lower numbers previously for BART-to-SJ, so they may have had some expectation of being required to provide less money. They may not have been enthusiastic about dialing it all the way up to the new ask. Remember, not so long ago this project was supposed to cost $9.3bn. And they may have been prepared to provide half: $4.7bn. And now all of sudden it's $12.7bn, and growing, and BART/VTA still are saying, "we want you to give us half."
The feds said "nope." It feels like a compromise between what they thought they were going to pay two years ago and what VTA wanted now.
ON: How will VTA find $700m? Is it hiding under a seat on an empty light-rail car at the Ohlohne-Chynoweth station?
MJ: They are suggesting they can get contractors to come in cheaper. That's possible; contractors have a desire to keep this project alive. But the bigger question is: given all the overages, will they even be able to bring this project in at $12.75bn?
ON: This sounds eerily similar to what happened with the misguided, hugely-delayed and wildly over-budget Honolulu transit project—appropriately named to rhyme with BART: HART.
MJ: HART had huge overruns and big delays in starting, so they actually had to start making compromises and scale the project back. They eliminated two stations and one mile of track. They ended up having to build it in phases. That could happen to BART-to-SJ. When we get into 2033, and it's still not open, we will get a sense of what kind of compromises they may have had to make.
Follow Opportunity Now on Twitter @svopportunity
Opp Now enthusiastically welcomes smart, thoughtful, fair-minded, well-written comments from our readers. But be advised: we have zero interest in posting rants, ad hominems, poorly-argued screeds, transparently partisan yack, or the hateful name-calling often seen on other local websites. So if you've got a great idea that will add to the conversation, please send it in. If you're trolling or shilling for a candidate or initiative, forget it.