The VTA Board of Directors, at its June 6 meeting, unanimously approved the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Report-2 for the Eastridge to BART Regional Connector Project (EBRC). 

The Final SEIR-2 is a formal document and process that addresses design updates made since 2016 and is available on the project web page. The report analyzes how the design changes may impact the environment (noise, vibration, and traffic), and makes recommendations for mitigating those impacts, where feasible.

With this approval, the EBRC project will extend VTA light rail by 2.4 miles along Capitol Expressway in San Jose from the existing Alum Rock Transit Center to the Eastridge Transit Center.

The extension includes elevated tracks along Capitol Expressway, an elevated station at Story Road, and a ground-level station at the Eastridge Transit Center. This revised design eliminates at grade crossings with light rail for both pedestrians and automobiles and will allow light rail service to travel at faster speeds avoiding vehicle traffic intersections.

Next steps

The approval of the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Report-2 is one step in this process. 

From here, VTA staff will begin work on utility agreements and property acquisition to advance the utility relocation. Engineering work is expected to be complete by mid-2020. Construction of light rail could begin in 2021 with a target opening of 2025. 

Concurrently VTA staff will continue to meet with neighborhood associations, identifying and reaching out to stakeholders, and responding to inquiries. If your neighborhood association, HOA, PTA, or other community group would like us to make a presentation on this project, or any other VTA project, contact Community Outreach and Public Engagement at 408-321-7575, or email us at community.outreach@vta.org.