October 3, 2008

Good news for mass transit, but a yes vote on Measure B is needed

BART - the Bay Area Rapid Transit - will be coming to Santa Clara County. The California Transporta-tion Commission has approved $239 million for extension from the Warm Springs station to connect with Caltrain in Silicon Valley.

San Jose mayor Chuck Reed said the extension will be a “vital part of our economic future.” The integrated system will complete a ring around the Bay and provide a way for the projected 98,000 riders to get to work and back home while saving gas and the environment.

The $239 million will pay for completing the engineering for the project and fill out the total of $760 million of state funding approved for the project.

But wait. It’s not that easy. The Federal Transit Administration won’t come up with its portion of construction money unless Santa Clara Country can assure it will pay to operate and maintain the line.

Measure B on the November ballot needs to be passed to assure that. Measure B is a sales tax that must get a yes vote to make the project real. The San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce has endorsed Measure B and strongly advocates its passage to continue making this area a good place to live and work.

Carl Guardino, CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group is also a strong proponent. He says Measure B is the missing piece to the funding puzzle. “We are counting on voters to realize that connecting BART to Caltrain and creating an integrated commuter rail system is important.”

When the extension is completed, more than 80 percent of county residents will live less than two miles from a BART, Caltrain or light rail station.