TransitFriday, November 13
The BART extension finishes a tunnel launch shaft, and VTA warns costs are rising
The SJtoday team
Crews finished excavating and reinforcing an 83-foot-deep launch shaft near PayPal Park, the starting point for the machine that will dig the 5-mile tunnel. The extension will add four stations: three in San Jose and one in Santa Clara. VTA's Tom Maguire says you can now stand at the bottom of the shaft and "really imagine what it's going to be like."
The BART extension's price tag has more than doubled
Source: San José Spotlight
View as table
| Value | |
|---|---|
| 2014 projection | $4.7 billion |
| Today | $12.7 billion |
The same week, VTA raised alarms about costs. General Manager Carolyn Gonot said in a Thursday statement that VTA is "evaluating all options" to advance the project, and the rising costs could delay some stations. The San Francisco Chronicle says officials may change the plan. A summer Civil Grand Jury report criticized VTA's management of the project.
- Shaft: 83 feet deep, with an 1,100-foot ramp to the surface
- Tunnel: 5 miles, projected 40 months to excavate
- Boring machine: 53-foot diameter, still to be shipped from Germany
BART's San Jose extension is now expected to open in 2037
- 2014Officials project a $4.7 billion cost and a 2026 start of service.
- Sept. 2026Workers complete excavation of the launch shaft.
- Oct. 2026Crews finish pouring concrete for the underground structure in late October.
- Early 2028Tunnel boring is expected to begin.
- 2037The stations are now expected to open.
Source: San José Spotlight
Sources: San José Spotlight, KQED, San Francisco Chronicle, SFGATE