San Jose
– Grand plans for a BART extension to downtown San Jose and
Mineta San Jose International Airport appear to have lost the
support of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.
Supervisor Liz Kniss of Palo Alto said Tuesday night that it
was
”
regrettable
”
that the Valley Transit Authority hasn’t studied the economic
impact of a shorter line, extending from Fremont to Warm Springs
and Milpitas.
n Staff Report
San Jose – Grand plans for a BART extension to downtown San Jose and Mineta San Jose International Airport appear to have lost the support of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.
Supervisor Liz Kniss of Palo Alto said Tuesday night that it was “regrettable” that the Valley Transit Authority hasn’t studied the economic impact of a shorter line, extending from Fremont to Warm Springs and Milpitas.
Her remarks came at a public meeting to discuss the VTA’s transportation plan for the next 25 years, called the VTP 2030.
As it now stands the VTA’s plan for BART carries a $4-billion price tag, to be funded in part by a 30-year half-cent sales tax that takes effect in 2006. But Silicon Valley’s economic slump has called sales-tax projections into question and the nation’s economic downturn has jeopardized more than $1.6 billion in state and federal funding budgeted for BART extensions.
To cope, the VTA plans a November 2006 ballot measure for a permanent half-cent sales tax, 75 percent of which will go toward BART and light rail projects.
Supervisor Don Gage said Wednesday that the funds are probably available for the Milpitas extension, which will cost about $2 billion, but that it’s too early to make any decisions on the project.
“Everybody’s getting excited and saying ‘we have to do this, we have to cut that,’ but we don’t have the money yet,” he said.
The VTA is going ahead with the engineering studies needed to secure future funding. The $170 million study is supported by sales-tax revenue and federal grants. The $338-billion spending bill passed by Congress earlier this week included $2.5 million earmarked for the study.
Gage said the study will be valid even if the airport extension is put off for several years.
“You can put those reports on the shelf,” he said. “It’s not wasted money.”
On Tuesday night, the board indicated it will pass a non-binding resolution endorsing a shorter BART line next month, but the VTA will have final say on any BART project.
