VTA blinks on troubled SJ Bart extension tunnel design
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The end of last week, the Merc reported: "With BART’s Silicon Valley extension expected to cost upwards of $12 billion, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is conducting a new cost analysis of a different approach — the controversial twin-bore tunnel design." It's long overdue, say local transit experts (exclusive to Opp Now and from Merc coverage), and highlights the dubious assumptions undergirding what an increasing number of leaders are calling an out-of-control project.
"VTA should have conducted this review before spending $76 million taxpayer dollars on a tunnel boring machine. Since VTA is now reviewing the project design, they should also revisit the decision to run service to Santa Clara paralleling existing Caltrain service that already has low ridership."--Marc Joffe, Cato Institute.
"Here's my idea: Place the $75m boring machine over at History Park, flanked by a VTA lightrail car on one side and a 1980s-era video touting SJ's Downtown revitalization on the other, and call it The Monument to Brutally Expensive City Failures."
--Suzi Murillo, local Planning Graduate student
"Jim Schmidt, a local transit advocate who has been asking for the cost estimate of the twin-bore design for years, was ecstatic to hear that the agency was finally listening to some of the community’s concerns. On the other hand, he still worries about VTA conducting the analysis itself, given its investment in the single-bore design.
'It would be better in my view if the work was done by an independent party to ensure objectivity,' he said. 'We’ll just have to hope the agency is careful in the analysis and does it very professionally.' "--SJ Merc
"Santa Clara Councilmember Suds Jain, who sits on VTA’s Board of Directors, was among the first to sound the alarm — especially in light of ballooning costs. Since 2014, the cost of the megaproject has risen from $4.4 billion to more than $12 billion. The timeline also has been pushed back from a 2026 opening to 2037.
"Jain said he asked VTA officials to get a new cost estimate on the twin-bore design because 'the conditions have changed so dramatically” since the single-bore option was approved.' "
"Even though the agency has already made the hefty purchase, Jain believes they can still switch gears.
'If you think about it, $76 million is almost a half of percent of the cost of the project,' Jain said. “'f you can save 5% by doing dual-bore, isn’t that a win?' "--SJ Merc
Read the whole Merc story here.
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