Five-mile tunnel construction for the BART extension from Berryessa Station to Santa Clara via San Jose will begin soon.
A drill will dig 80 feet, about eight stories, beneath our streets. It's a part of a cosmopolitan decision by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority to pursue the Sixties goal of encircling the Bay Area with rail transportation – an idea as old because the Edsel.
This is fiscal folly that, if implemented, will likely leave us with an outdated system in a brave latest world. As we now have worked for a long time to enhance and support what’s best for our city of San Jose and its residents, we feel compelled to talk out.
The proposed BART extension needs to be stopped now and a committee of independent experts should examine whether this project still serves San Jose or simply those that run it.
The cost has increased from $5.6 billion to $12.8 billion and the completion date has been pushed back from 2026 to 2037. When the plan is accomplished, few of the plan's architects shall be here to reply for any mistakes.
This is an important but financially and reputationally damaging project in San Jose history. Our focus should as a substitute be on keeping Silicon Valley together and providing higher service to our residents.
New consideration could lead on to a fleet of unpolluted energy buses or other transportation ideas serving major destinations reminiscent of San Jose Mineta International Airport, Santana Row and Westfield Mall, in addition to major residential areas reminiscent of East San Jose, Willow Glen, etc. in Almaden Valley.
A bus system expansion could possibly be accomplished in a fraction of the time — years, not a long time — and we now have the cash to do it now.
To launch a project as large because the BART extension, so fraught with danger, you might have to trust the people leading it. The Valley Transportation Authority's latest rail project in San Jose resulted in a bloodbath for merchants and residents.
Then VTA leaders blithely passed on false numbers to their very own board and to the general public for the BART extension. A principled auditor disclosed this. But failing to impress outrage, the panel of elected officials formed an investigative committee.
When the expansion is complete, it’ll be operated under contract by BART, a transit agency that sets latest standards yearly for poor planning and unfunded latest service. And once accomplished, will or not it’s needed in 2037 and beyond, given the present unmistakable trend toward reduced office space, latest work habits and plummeting public transit ridership?
To rush forward despite these clear signs of danger is tantamount to communal madness. It's time for a transparent and honest evaluation. We must use common sense and stop this threat to our city by commissioning this independent review.
We should have the reality. Our city has come a protracted and admirable way, providing homes and jobs for therefore many individuals throughout our history. It never aspired to be a “great” city, because it is usually called, but to be a “good” city that’s consistently improving – a spot that we might be proud to go away to our kids and grandchildren.
We could make this goal a forever-lasting act if we make difficult selections to get to the reality.
image credit : www.mercurynews.com