Kevin Sheridan has joined the Tri-Valley – San Joaquin Valley Regional Rail Authority (Valley Link) as the agency’s new deputy executive director/program manager following the approval of the board of directors.
Sheridan comes to the Valley Link project with more than 20 years working in transportation project delivery from project inception to construction completion. Since 2017, he has served as director, capital projects program for the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission (ACE Rail).
Prior to his employment with ACE, Sheridan worked in project management positions with the San Joaquin County Council of Governments for 10 years and with Caltrans for seven years.
In introducing the recommended action, Tracy Mayor Pro Tem Veronica Vargas, who serves as chair of the Valley Link Board, said, “I had the pleasure last week to meet with Kevin and was personally impressed by his skill level, his knowledge and how passionate he is about this project. He has been working for quite some time in the industry and he is very well respected. I think he will be the person to take us to the finish line on this project.”
Michael Tree, Valley Link executive director, recommended the hiring to the Valley Link Board, noting that “among the outstanding candidates we interviewed, what really stood out about Keven was three things. First, he is currently overseeing $1.5 billion in rail construction projects for the San Joaquin Regional Rail Authority, so he has experience managing projects similar in magnitude to Valley Link. Second, he has had extensive experience working with Union Pacific (UP) Railroad and that relationship will be vital in developing the part of the project that is in UP right of way. Finally, Kevin managed highway projects while at Caltrans and that experience will be essential in designing the part of the project that falls in the I-580 median.”
The 42-mile seven-station Valley Link commuter rail service will provide 74 daily round trips and is expected to carry more than 33,000 daily riders by 2040. The project is expected to result in the reduction of approximately 141 million vehicle miles traveled per year by 2040, which will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The first Valley Link trains could be placed into service in 2028.
