The contractor has been on the project since 2022, and is responsible for large portions of work that are already underway, including the building of a $76 million tunnel boring machine, and the preparation of a launch structure where the boring machine would be put into the ground in Santa Clara.
But Maguire said VTA and KST have not been able to come to an agreement about the “lump sum” cost of the rest of the planned work, including the tunneling and excavation needed for underground stations, and the tracking and creation of entrances and exits, despite negotiating since last summer.
The agency created an internal task force to seek out other contracting opportunities and has begun conversations with 10 national tunnelling contractors that have shown “strong interest in taking this project on in a way that fits within VTA’s budget and model,” Maguire said.
The cost of the project’s second phase — which is planned to extend BART six miles from its current end of the line at Berryessa Station in North San José and run west to create four new stations ending in Santa Clara — has been a major stumbling block for transit officials and local and regional leaders almost since its inception.
While originally pegged at a budget of $4.7 billion in 2014, with an intended completion date in 2026, the entire project is currently estimated to cost $12.7 billion and is expected to be completed in 2037.
With the potential change of contractors, Maguire said tunneling work, which was expected to start this year in recent estimates, is likely to begin in 2027. However, Maguire said the completion date for the project overall is not being changed for the moment, and that a potential redesign with a new contractor could accelerate the timeline.
