SCVTA takes step forward with light-rail Eastridge extension environmental approval
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.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. 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 served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
