Alviso Port Inspires San Jose Leaders
Business leaders in Silicon Valley are looking at what it would take to reopen San Jose as a port to the San Francisco Bay, after the Alviso area recently resumed recreational boating.
The Alviso boat ramp just reopened last month after years of neglect, and now officials are already looking at making it a port on the Bay.
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Richard Santos, board chair of the Santa Clara Valley Water District, says at first the port would only be used as an evacuation point in the event of an emergency.
"We got too lax, we forgot about 9/11, and we forget about Loma Prieta," said Santos. "Those are priorities you've got to be prepared for."
A $360,000 feasibility study is now underway.
Pat Dando, President and C.E.O. of the Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce says an Alviso port could eventually be used once again for commerce.
"Or, I think of the port as offering an alternative to highway travel from the North Bay to Silicon Valley," said Dando.
She envisions a water shuttle as a green commute alternative.
Some environmentalists have raised concerns that the Alviso channel is too shallow for big boats, and any efforts to transform it will harm the local habitat.
