Washington—Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala D. Harris and seven members of the Bay Area congressional delegation (all D-Calif.) today called on Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to approve funding for BART’s Transbay Corridor Core Capacity Project to increase train capacity between San Francisco and Oakland.

“This is the most highly rated transit project awaiting approval from the department, and it appears that the project may be close to advancing into the final phase of administrative review,” the members wrote. “Unfortunately, the project has been waiting on this administrative step for nearly a year and a half, and any delays at this point could cause significant cost escalation. With your help to ensure a timely review, we are confident that the project will be a success.”

Full text of the letter follows:

May 9, 2019

The Honorable Elaine Chao
Secretary
U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590

Dear Secretary Chao:

 We write to ask for your help to ensure the timely review and advancement of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Transbay Corridor Core Capacity project. This is the most highly rated transit project awaiting approval from the Department, and it appears that the project may be close to advancing into the final phase of administrative review. Unfortunately, the project has been waiting on this administrative step for nearly a year and a half, and any delays at this point could cause significant cost escalation. With your help to ensure a timely review, we are confident that the project will be a success.

It is our understanding that BART’s Transbay Corridor Core Capacity project has satisfied all requirements laid out in statute for advancement, and has even received the highest possible technical rating – the only project in the program’s pipeline to do so. Today, BART provides two-thirds of the 40,000 hourly trips over the Bay Bridge and Transbay Tube, which is one of the most congested and economically vital corridors in the country. This project will increase BART’s capacity by 45 percent through the purchase of more than 300 new train cars, upgrading the train control and power systems, and improving maintenance capabilities. The state and local governments are prepared to fund nearly two-thirds of the total $3.5 billion project.

This project has been waiting since December 2017 for administrative approval from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to enter the engineering phase of the Core Capacity Capital Investment Grants program. Further delay threatens to cause unnecessary additional costs, including $20 to $25 million to maintain or rebid a major design-build contract for one element of the project and another $120 million due to the annual escalation of overall construction costs.

BART’s project is a shining example of the type of infrastructure investment that the Core Capacity program was designed to support. We ask that the Department provide a clear timetable for the interim administrative steps of entrance into engineering and issuance of a letter of no prejudice, as well as for the final step of a full funding grant agreement. In light of the project’s high technical rating, the significant costs of delay, the repeated Congressional direction to advance projects according to the criteria established in statute, and the fact that Congress has appropriated sufficient funding in Fiscal Year 2019, it is our expectation that these steps can reasonably be completed this year.

Thank you for your continued attention to the transit Capital Investment Grants program and for your commitment to ensuring that every project receives a fair, timely, and thorough review.

Sincerely,

Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator

Kamala D. Harris
United States Senator

Mark DeSaulnier
Member of Congress

Barbara Lee
Member of Congress

Eric Swalwell
Member of Congress

Zoe Lofgren
Member of Congress

Jackie Speier
Member of Congress

Jared Huffman
Member of Congress

Ro Khanna
Member of Congress