Silicon Valley Reps. Eshoo, Lofgren and Honda Announce $141 Million Grant for BART Berryessa Extension

Press Release

Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose), Anna G. Eshoo (D-Palo Alto) and Mike Honda (D-San Jose) announced today that the BART to Silicon Valley Project--Berryessa Extension will receive $141 million in grant funding from the Federal Transit Administration. The three Members of Congress have been key supporters of the transportation project, which was announced in a March 2012 signing celebration. The grant includes funding to purchase 40 new vehicles, build traction power substations, put in place necessary communication systems, and construct parking facilities.

"Santa Clara County voters really deserve the credit because they made the smart vote to invest a sales tax bump towards infrastructure that helped us secure $900 million in federal funding," said Rep. Lofgren. "As the Valley grows, this kind of investment in public infrastructure will pay big dividends for our community with improved public transportation and economic benefits for decades to come."

"The additional $141 million in federal grant money to extend BART to the South Bay puts Santa Clara County residents in the home stretch of a project decades in the making," Rep. Eshoo said. "Investment in our South Bay transportation infrastructure now will help us keep up with the region's booming growth. It will relieve congestion, mitigate pollution, and benefit Valley and Bay Area residents."

"The BART Silicon Valley Project is critical to the connectivity of the entire Bay Area rail transportation system," Rep. Honda said. "This extension will enhance regional commuter connectivity and alleviate traffic congestion. As a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, I fought to ensure that there was enough funding in the Fiscal Year 2014 omnibus appropriations bill to deliver this funding this year. With work progressing on time and under budget, this extension promises to enhance regional commuter connectivity and alleviate congestion, while also creating much needed jobs."

The BART to Silicon Valley project is a multi-phase extension of the existing BART system to San Jose, Milpitas and Santa Clara. The first phase is the $2.1 billion Berryessa Extension, a 10-mile, two station project beginning south of the future Warm Springs Station in Freemont through Milpitas and ending in the Berryessa area north of San Jose. When completed, the extension will provide increased transit access to and from Santa Clara employment centers for both Santa Clara residents and residents throughout the San Francisco Bay area.

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