The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has given Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (SCVTA) the green light to enter the six-mile Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Silicon Valley Phase II Extension into the project development phase of the Federal New Starts funding program.

This milestone signifies that SCVTA has “pre-award authority” to incur costs to advance engineering and design activities to support the environmental review process.

“I have been proud to lead the fight to fund the BART Silicon Valley Project in Congress,” said U.S. Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA-17). “Supporting SCVTA’s work to build Phase II of the BART extension is critical to our region. The support of Congress and the federal government is essential for us to make the investments we need to ease traffic congestion and provide another transportation option for commuters in the Valley. I’m happy to see this important step being taken and will continue to champion the project as it moves through the New Starts process so we can make that happen.”

“This wonderful news from FTA means that we are continuing to make steady progress towards extending BART Silicon Valley through San Jose and Santa Clara,” said SCVTA Board Chair and Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez. “This opens the door to BART’s moving up the line for federal funding, as we continue through this pivotal year for advancements in transportation in the valley.”

SCVTA must complete a number of activities during this phase which include: clearly defining the project scope after performing an alternatives analysis; identifying a funding plan and completing the environmental review process.

Phase II of VTA’s BART Silicon Valley Project consists of four stations and a five-mile tunnel through downtown San Jose, completing the 16-mile extension and vital transit solution to highly congested and constrained I-880 and I-680 corridors.