Santa Clara VTA awards $437-million contract for light rail extension

California Construction News staff writer

The Eastridge to BART Regional Connector light rail extension is on its way to construction, after the board of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority voted earlier this month to approve a construction contract with MCM- Railwork for the project.

The extension will run from Alum Rock station to the Eastridge Transit Center with an elevated guideway above the Capitol Expressway corridor, and stations at Story Road and Eastridge Transit Center.

Construction will begin in April and is expected to be completed by 2028.

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan called the contract awarding a “historic investment”.

“Our east side in San Jose has waited far too long, and has been truly underserved,” Mahan said. “It’s an intergenerational investment, it’s a sacrifice we make as a contribution toward an overall regional network that one day is going to all fit together at the service levels we want.”

The $437 million joint bid from Sacramento-based MCM Construction Inc. and New York City-based RailWorks Corporation was about $122 million over VTA’s estimates, due to inflation affecting materials such as concrete and electrical components.

The board authorized VTA to utilize its reserves to cover the bulk of the additional cost.

Work will be funded from Measure A, a tax measure approved by voters in 2000, and $130 million from Regional Measure 3, a 2018 bridge toll increase. Additionally, approximately $86 million is allocated from state transportation grants and funds, including the gas tax.