Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority in Santa Clara County, Calif., is the first applicant for the Expedited Project Delivery (EPD) Pilot Program, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) said Monday.
According to the DOT’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Santa Clara VTA not only completed the first step in applying for the new federal program aimed at expediting the delivery of new transit infrastructure projects, but the organization was also awarded $100 million for its Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Silicon Valley Phase II project, bringing to $225 million the amount FTA has given the VTA for the project.
“I am so pleased that $100 million will be allocated to the first Expedited Project Delivery Pilot Program project in the country to Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority in San Jose, Calif. Cutting red tape and streamlining federal review processes will help advance the completion of infrastructure projects on a faster timeline for the benefit of the community,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao. Chao resigned on Jan. 11.
The EPD encourages public-private partnerships and funding from various sources to fund projects that are planned to be operated and maintained by employees of an existing public transportation provider. This, the FTA said, can mean that projects can be completed more quickly because of streamlined federal reviews, which, in turn, means better use of taxpayer dollars and new transit services coming to growing communities more quickly.
“We are pleased to receive VTA’s formal application – the first in the nation – and announce an additional $100 million funding allocation to VTA as part of FTA’s newly established Expedited Project Delivery Pilot Program,” said FTA Deputy Administrator K. Jane Williams. “FTA is proud to provide this federal investment and partner with VTA to create jobs and help communities continue to recover from the COVID-19 public health emergency.”
Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Silicon Valley Phase II project will add a 6.5-mile extension of the system from Berryessa Station through downtown San Jose to Santa Clara. The total estimated cost is $6.86 billion, and VTA has requested only $1.715 billion in federal funding through the EPD pilot program.