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    SCVTA takes step forward with light-rail Eastridge extension environmental approval

    June 11, 2019
    Approval of the Final SEIR-2 allows engineering work and community outreach efforts to continue with a target construction date in 2021.
    Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
    A rendering of the elevated light-rail tracks above Capitol Expressway in San Jose, Calif.
    A rendering of the elevated light-rail tracks above Capitol Expressway in San Jose, Calif.

    The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (SCVTA) is moving forward with plans to extend light-rail to Eastridge Transit Center. The SCVTA Board of Directors unanimously approved the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Report-2 (SEIR-2) for the Eastridge to BART Regional Connector Project (EBRC).  

    The EBRC design was revised in 2016 to eliminate grade crossings along the extension, which will increase safety and allow trains to travel at faster speeds. The extension project will construct elevated tracks along Capitol Expressway in San Jose, Calif., from the existing Alum Rock Transit Center to a new elevated station at Story Road before returning to a ground-level station at Eastridge Transit Center. The Final SEIR-2 was required to analyze the impact the design change may have on the environment and makes recommendations, where feasible, of mitigating actions.

    With the approval for the Final SEIR-2 in place, authority staff will begin to advance utility agreements and relocation and any property acquisitions required. Community outreach efforts will also continue as staff plans to meet with neighborhood associations, as well as identify and reach out to stakeholders.

    SCVTA says engineering work is expected to be complete by mid-2020 with construction beginning as soon as 2021 with a target opening of 2025.  

    About the Author

    Mischa Wanek-Libman | Editor in Chief

    Mischa Wanek-Libman serves as editor in chief of Mass Transit magazine. She is responsible for developing and maintaining the magazine’s editorial direction and is based in the western suburbs of Chicago.

    Wanek-Libman has spent more than 20 years covering transportation issues including construction projects and engineering challenges for various commuter railroads and transit agencies. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content. 

    She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and serves as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.  

    She is a graduate of Drake University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication with a major in magazine journalism and a minor in business management.

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