South Bay Commuters Run Into Extra Traffic As BART To Silicon Valley Construction Begins
SAN JOSE (KCBS)— Some South Bay commuters ran into some extra traffic in San Jose Monday morning due to the $2.3 billion BART to Silicon Valley construction project.
While the work will ultimately keep BART trains completely separate from other transportation, in the meantime it has elbowed some commuters out of traffic lanes.
It's the Silicon Valley's largest public works project ever and commuters will be happy to hear that the South Bay trains should operate seamlessly with cars, bicycles and pedestrians.
Work began this week to tunnel under or build bridges over 11 roadways in San Jose, which means moving some 850,000 cubic yards of dirt.
Casimiro Lunez was digging around a manhole in the median of busy Hostetter Road.
"This is the first significant work on the project in San Jose outside of the station area," said Bernice Alaniz with the Valley Transportation Authority.
During this phase of the project, BART trains will be kept completely separate from other commuters.
South Bay Commuters Run Into Extra Traffic As BART To Silcon Valley Construction Begins
"We're separating the traffic from the future BART system and also the existing freight system, so really enhancing the safety in those areas," Alaniz said.
Crews cut through existing train tracks to make way for the BART tracks, which won't actually be laid until the very end of this phase of the project, expected to be completed sometime in 2017.
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