VTA is betting on federal dollars to complete the San Jose BART extension — with no backup plan

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is betting on a hefty sum of money from the federal government to help complete the $12.75 billion San Jose BART extension. But if those dollars don’t come in, it appears the transit agency doesn’t have a backup plan.

For more than two decades, transportation officials have envisioned completing a ring of rail around the Bay Area. In 2020, BART reached its southernmost point, opening stations in Milpitas and the Berryessa neighborhood of San Jose.