San Jose: VTA greenlights Eastridge light rail extension

After several decades of waiting, residents of East San Jose can finally expect to see a light rail station arrive in their community in the next few years.

On Thursday, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) board of directors voted to greenlight the long-awaited rail link between the Eastridge Transit Center and the existing Alum Rock station, approving a final environmental document and setting the stage for construction next year. Set to run on an aerial track along the Capitol Expressway, the 2.4-mile extension will also include a new station at Story Road.

Ken Ronsse, a deputy director with VTA, said construction is expected to begin in 2020, with service beginning about five years later.

The vote comes as welcome news for San Jose Councilwoman Sylvia Arenas, who represents much of East San Jose and has campaigned for the project in recent months.

“We’ve been waiting for this for a really long time,” Arenas told the board. “We need to bring a little justice for this community.”

The project is expected to cost a little more than $450 million, with the bulk of the money coming from 2000’s Measure A, $130 million from Regional Measure 3 and about $9 million from 2017’s Senate Bill 1.

“For those of us who have invested 21 years to get to this point, it’s a very exciting evening,” said Silicon Valley Leadership Group Carl Guardino, who advocated for the measures and project. “We look forward to that opening.”

Thursday’s approval isn’t the final hurdle for supporters, but it allays concerns from some that the project was headed for a derailment. The design still needs to be completed, utilities must be relocated, property needs to be acquired and construction contracts must be approved.

The project does come with a number of drawbacks, including reduced carpool lanes, more traffic for drivers and environmental impacts. And according to the latest environmental impact report, which the board certified, ridership is expected to be relatively low — just 4,534 boardings in 2043.

Still, more than a dozen residents of East San Jose said the project will improve the lives of people who live in a neighborhood that for too long has been ignored and provide a link to Silicon Valley.

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Oakland: Woman on trackway forced MacArthur BART station closure “We’re willing to sacrifice that commuter lane because we understand not everyone has the luxury of driving in a car,” said San Jose Councilwoman Magdalena Carrasco, a VTA board member whose district adjoins Arenas’ district. “So maybe a few extra minutes might upset us, but it’s a small inconvenience.”

Andres Quintero, an Alum Rock school board member, agreed.

“I think it’s about time people in East San Jose…get what they rightfully deserve,” Quintero told the board, “which is a system of transportation that makes sense.”

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