Santa Clara VTA awards East San Jose Light Rail Extension construction contract to MCM-Railworks JV

Construction on the Eastridge to the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Regional Connector light-rail extension (formerly the Capitol Expressway Light Rail Project) will begin again at the start of Summer 2024, after the board of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (Santa Clara VTA) voted to approve a construction contract with MCM-Railwork for the project, on March 7, 2024.

The $653-million project will extend light-rail service from the Alum Rock Transit Center 2.4 miles to the Eastridge Transit Center. The Eastridge extension will include a light-rail station that is elevated and accessed by a pedestrian overcrossing and an at-grade station located at the Eastridge Transit Center. 

The Eastridge to BART Regional Connector Project has been delivered in phases and first phase was delivered in two parts. In Phase 1A, Santa Clara VTA addressed pedestrian access and improved safety measures along the expressway between Quimby Road and Capitol Avenue. This was completed in Fall 2012. It included new sidewalks, street lighting and a landscaping buffer. Phase 1B of the project was the reconstruction of the Eastridge Transit Center.

The improvements to the transit center, which included new shelters and amenities and supports bus rapid transit, were completed in 2015. Phase 2 is the light-rail extension. This is the final phase of the larger Capitol Expressway Transit Improvement Project that transforms Capitol EBRC-CELR-03072024_DL Expressway into a multi-modal expressway offering bus rapid transit, light-rail transit and safe connections to the regional transit system.
 
When this project is complete, riders will be able to board light rail at the Eastridge Transit Center and connect directly with BART at the Milpitas Station.