SAN JOSE, Calif. — Bay Area Rapid Transit’s planned extension to San Jose could take four years longer to complete than currently estimated and cost substantially more than the original and current estimates, according to a federal report.
The Bay Area News Group, which obtained the Federal Transportation Administration document through a Public Records act request, reports the FTA analysis indicate the extension may not be complete until June 2034 and could cost $9.1 billion. That is $4.4 billion more than the initial estimate by the Valley Transportation Authority. The latest estimate by the VTA — which is funding the extension because it is not part of the five-county BART agency — is $2.2 billion less than the federal figure.
The FTA report found VTA estimates of cost and construction time to be “overly optimistic,” with methodology described as “insufficient” and “illogical.” Much of the federal agency’s reservations stem from plans to dig a single, 4.7-mile long, 48-foot-wide tunnel for the extension. The FTA said VTA projected a rate of progress more than twice as fast as recent highway projects elsewhere that involved similar tunnels.
The VTA disputed the federal findings when the report was being produced in 2021, and rejected recommendations such as a 14-month addition to the construction schedule. Ultimately, the local agency did add 10 months to its schedule.
Share this article
