Senator Cortese Applauds Funding Announcement to Complete BART Extension to Eastridge

State Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin announced Monday that Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) has received funding to extend to the Eastridge Transit Center in East San Jose to the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART).

The $46 million grant award will allow Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) to leverage other funding sources and build out a 2.4 mile light rail extension connecting the VTA’s second-busiest bus transit center throughout the greater Bay Area. The news follows 23-years of incremental successes and steadfast planning and perseverance by Senator Dave Cortese and other transit champions of Silicon Valley. 

“When the voters approved funding the Eastridge Project Extension over two decades ago, our dream was to create quick, reliable public transit in East San Jose’s largest hub connecting people directly to BART and destinations throughout the Bay Area,” said Senator Dave Cortese (D-San Jose). “This light rail to BART connector will allow easy bicycle, pedestrian and park & ride options, cutting down on traffic and air pollution in some of San Jose’s lowest-income and most transit-dependent neighborhoods. It will also help the State of California reach its climate goals.”

The Eastridge to BART Regional Connector Project has been delivered in several phases, including the reconstruction of the Eastridge Transit Center in 2015. The $46 million grant from the state’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program represents the final piece of a yearslong funding puzzle that expands Capitol Expressway into a multi-modal expressway offering light rail and bus service.

Senator Dave Cortese first championed the project as a San Jose City Councilmember in 2000. He has worked on funding and build-out strategies as a VTA member, chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), Santa Clara County Supervisor, and State Senator. Senator Cortese currently sits on the Senate Transportation Committee, and last year, while sitting Senate Transportation Subcommittee 5, he helped secure billions of dollars for infrastructure capital improvements.

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