In the coming weeks, community members will see a flurry of activity along the light rail extension corridor to East San Jose . VTA is on the path to approve the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Report-2 (SEIR-2) – a formal document and process that addresses design and engineering updates made since 2016.
 
This project will extend 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 is safer and will allow light rail service to travel at faster speeds avoiding vehicle traffic intersections.
 
The updates to the light rail design and engineering required VTA to develop a second Draft SEIR. The report focuses on how the design changes could impact the environment (noise, vibration, and traffic), and makes recommendations for mitigating those impacts.
 
In June of 2018, VTA hosted a public scoping meeting, followed by a circulation of the Draft SEIR-2 and a public meeting in October of 2018. VTA staff received over 60 comments from the community, City of San Jose, and County of Santa Clara. The Final SEIR-2 set for release in mid-May thoroughly addresses every comment received.
 
In the meantime, project updates have been presented to neighborhood associations, VTA’s Eastridge to BART Regional Connector Policy Advisory Board, the Capitol Program Committee, and the VTA Board of Directors. These meetings and the feedback received have contributed to VTA’s understanding of the various stakeholders and the concerns of citizens, all of which help support this project moving forward.
 
Once the Final SEIR-2 is released in mid-May, it will be available on the project web page. The VTA Board is then scheduled to consider approving the environmental document at its June 6 meeting.
 
Over the next couple of weeks, the community will see the first visible field work. Notices have been delivered to residents and businesses along the corridor sharing information in multiple languages about the geotechnical boring for utility investigations taking place at various locations on Capitol Expressway and streets adjacent to the expressway.
 
VTA staff continues to meet with neighborhood associations, identifying and reaching out to stakeholders, and responding to inquiries. Community Outreach and Public Engagement and Engineering staff will present a project update to the Tully Ocala Cunningham King Neighborhood Association on May 6, and the Thompson Creek Neighborhood Association on May 9.
 
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.