Now officials are looking at a two-station configuration without the Five Wounds and Santa Clara University stops; an alternate plan would keep a Five Wounds station, but move it to 23rd Street.
The discussion doesn't affect the current 10-mile, $2.3 billion extension that is now about halfway complete. That project extends BART from the current Fremont end-of-the-line station down to Berryessa.
Why the potential changes? In a word, funding. VTA officials believe they need to slim down the project's cost to help qualify for federal grants. "The criteria for federal funds is fierce," Alaniz said. The changes could cut $1.3 billion from the $4.7 billion phase, partly by allowing tracks to be built over Highway 101 (rather than under it) and building less of a tunnel section. That could make the project more attractive to the Feds. The two-station plan preserves what officials believe is the most important goals of BART: Getting it to the downtown San Jose employment center and linking up with the major multi-modal transit hub at Diridon.
More @ SF Business Times
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