U.S. Department of Transportation undersecretary tours BART

by Amir Friedlander, Milpitas Post
Posted: 10/22/2010 10:02:17 AM PDT
Updated: 10/22/2010 10:09:52 AM PDT

Construction machinery roared in the background Tuesday as Congressman Mike Honda (D-San Jose) met with U.S. Department of Transportation Undersecretary Roy Kienitz, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) and representatives of the Valley Transportation Authority, Caltrain and the Mineta Transportation Institute for a press conference in Milpitas concerning the Silicon Valley Bay Area Rapid Transit expansion.

At the press conference, which took place under the Abel Street overpass, Honda predicted a great return on investment from the project, "which will extend the BART system 16 miles south from a future Warm Springs station in the city of Fremont, through the cities of Milpitas and San Jose, to a terminus at the Caltrain commuter rail station in Santa Clara."

Lofgren shared Honda's enthusiasm that the expansion will provide the population greater access to Silicon Valley and improve the job economy. For every dollar spent on construction, operations and maintenance, $4 to $10 is expected to be reinvested in the region's economy, according to the project's backers.

About 7,000 permanent jobs have already been created, according to a VTA representative.

Lofgren went on to call the expansion "a tribute to the voters of Silicon Valley."

A unique characteristic of the project is the fact that most funding has been state- and locally-generated.

"California has been strong in its self-help way of doing business," Kienitz said.

Officials are also planning future construction of the California High Speed Rain System's San Francisco-San Jose Corridor, which includes an expansion of the Diridon Station in San Jose.

According to Honda, "Diridon Station, which is being designed as the state's largest multimodal transit hub, will offer efficient, convenient passenger connections to the high-speed train system, BART, seven other intercity, regional, and local rail and bus system connections, and the Mineta San Jose Airport."

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