VTA Finishes Deep Launch Shaft for BART Tunnel as Cost Picture Remains Unsettled

VTA projects 40 months to finish excavation of the 5-mile tunnel. Later work would include track, stations, electric utilities and emergency systems, according to the report. VTA reports 3.7 million person-hours on the site and no serious injuries. [1]

The report said the shaft milestone came just more than two years after the project officially broke ground. Backers said the visible work could strengthen confidence in the schedule. The agency has not said the project is free of its earlier problems. [1]

The report says the shaft is connected to the ramp and will be the launch point for the machine. It does not give a date for when the machine will be lowered. [1]

Tom Maguire, VTA's chief megaprojects officer, told San José Spotlight that the site now lets people picture trains using the route and a subway operating there. He said visitors can stand at the top of the ramp or the bottom of the shaft and imagine the future alignment. [1]

Maguire also said the excavation was difficult. He cited soil conditions, the amount of concrete reinforcement and the structure's complexity, according to the report. [1]

Adam Cohen, a senior researcher at San José State University's Mineta Transportation Institute, urged residents to treat such milestones as steps within a longer delivery process. He said engineering, construction, financial and other hurdles remain, San José Spotlight reported. The report places that caution alongside the construction milestone. [1]

The report presents Maguire's comments as optimism about visible progress, not as a declaration that the project's financial problems are solved. [1]

In 2014, when the extension was announced, VTA projected a $4.7 billion cost and service starting in 2026, according to the report. [1]

Material costs rose sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, among other factors. The price tag has since more than doubled and the expected opening has moved to 2037; the current estimate is $12.7 billion. [1]

VTA disclosed earlier this week that the project will not meet the revised $12.7 billion figure, the report said. That raises the possibility of major changes, such as holding off on building certain stations while more money is found. [1]

The report does not provide a new total cost. It also does not say which station or stations could be delayed, or how long such a delay might last. [1]

The 2014 projection and the current estimate are both attributed to VTA in the report. The report does not break down which components drove the increase beyond citing material costs during the pandemic and other factors. [1]

The report says the opening date moved to 2037. It does not say whether that date accounts for the possible station delays VTA has raised. [1]

A federal transportation grant arrived below expectations, leaving a gap VTA is trying to close. The shortfall had been estimated at about $700 million, and that number is likely to grow when VTA provides updated cost details in December, according to San José Spotlight. The report describes the shortfall as a major funding gap left after the grant came in lower than expected. [1]

Bay Area voters approved the Regional Transit Measure, a sales tax expected to generate $1 billion a year for transit. The report says none of that money is earmarked for the BART extension. [1]

A Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury report issued over the summer faulted VTA's management and oversight. It accused the agency of relying on shaky funding and not fully counting long-term operations and maintenance costs, the report said. [1]

The grand jury criticism adds to the financial questions facing the project. The report does not state how VTA has responded to the findings. [1]

The report says the $700 million figure was an earlier estimate. It does not give a current dollar amount for the gap. [1]

San Jose District 3 Councilmember Anthony Tordillos, a VTA board member whose district covers downtown, welcomed the news. He described the work as a significant point for the second phase of BART Silicon Valley and said it sets up tunnel boring. [1]

Tordillos said the project moves the region toward better connections in San Jose and would give District 3 residents, workers and visitors more travel options, according to the report. [1]

Transit advocate and San José Spotlight columnist Monica Mallon said the construction advance deserves notice despite the remaining problems. She told the report that when the line opens, people will focus less on duration and setbacks and more on using the service to reach destinations. [1]

The report places Tordillos's and Mallon's comments alongside Cohen's caution and the grand jury's criticism. It does not say whether the project's backers dispute the grand jury's conclusions. [1]

The report does not say whether local, state or federal officials beyond those quoted have taken positions on the latest cost warning. [1]

According to the report, the extension is intended to bring BART service into downtown San Jose and Santa Clara and add four stations. Tordillos's statement focused on added travel options for District 3; the report does not describe broader network effects. [1]

A scenario VTA has raised is delaying some station construction until more funding is secured. The report does not establish whether that will happen, which stations might be affected, or what the final cost will be. The report does not say whether VTA has formally adopted such a scenario. [1]

The report does not say whether a delayed-station plan would change the projected 2037 opening date or the tunnel schedule. Those questions remain open. [1]

If station construction were delayed, the report does not say how service would begin or whether the opening date would change. Those outcomes are not established. [1]

The December update is a central unknown. It is unclear how much the funding gap will exceed the earlier $700 million estimate, what funding mix could close it, and whether VTA will formally propose station delays, according to the report. [1]

Delivery questions remain as well. The machine must travel from Germany, be reassembled and be lowered before tunneling starts. The report does not give a revised date for that work beyond the early 2028 projection for tunneling. [1]

The report also does not say how VTA has responded to the grand jury's findings. It does not provide a new total cost beyond saying VTA will not meet the $12.7 billion estimate, nor does it specify what other major changes the agency might consider. [1]

It is also unresolved how the agency will account for long-term operations and maintenance costs, a point the grand jury raised. The report does not say whether that issue will require new funding or changes to the project. [1]

The report does not say whether the Federal Transportation Agency grant shortfall has a specific cause or whether VTA plans to seek additional federal funds. [1]

Watch VTA's December cost update and any proposal to alter station construction. The report says the agency could consider delaying some stations if more funding is not available. [1]

Watch the machine's arrival and assembly, then the start of tunneling, projected for early 2028. Once boring begins, the 40-month excavation schedule and daily progress of 30 to 40 feet will be the measurable benchmarks cited in the report. [1]

Funding and oversight remain in view. The federal grant was lower than expected, the regional sales tax is not designated for this extension, and the grand jury criticized VTA's funding assumptions and long-term cost accounting, according to the report. [1]

Backers said the visible shaft could strengthen confidence in the schedule, while Cohen cautioned that significant challenges remain. Whether construction milestones continue alongside financial and oversight questions is unresolved, the report indicates. [1]

The report does not specify when VTA will decide on station delays or how the December figures will affect the project's 2037 opening target. Those are questions to follow. [1]

The report does not say when the machine will leave Germany or how long reassembly will take. It gives only the early 2028 tunneling projection. [1]

Sources

San Jose Spotlight

Prepared with AI assistance from the cited sources.