By Khalida Sarwari
Saratoga’s elected officials recently got a first-hand look at VTA’s long-range transportation plan and a list of the city’s own project proposals to be considered as part of the plan down the line.
Public works director John Cherbone updated members of the city council on the plan, called the Valley Transportation Plan 2040, at its meeting earlier this month. The council sent Cherbone back with some homework, advising him to add a few more projects to the list.
The VTA plan includes a list of transit, roadway and bike and pedestrian mobility projects. As part of the update process, which usually happens every five years, the VTA asked jurisdictions in the county to submit project proposals to be considered for the VTP 2040. Cities have until Aug. 31 to submit their project proposals.
Saratoga currently has 10 projects listed under the “local system” program area, which covers county expressways, local streets and roads, and multimodal transportation such as bicycle and pedestrian. They include the Prospect Road median project, Blue Hills School railroad crossing safety project, the first and second phases of the citywide signal upgrade project, Saratoga Avenue sidewalk improvements, Joe’s Trail, Herriman and Saratoga avenues traffic signal, Verde Vista Lane traffic signal, citywide pedestrian access and the fifth phase of the Highway 9 pedestrian safety improvements.
Recent additions to the list include the Saratoga-to-the-Sea trail and Highway 85 corridor noise reduction measures. The first has regional connectivity and will require multi-jurisdictional participation to make it a reality, Cherbone said. He recommended that it be submitted as two separate projects.
The VTA update coincides with a proposed 2016 sales tax measure to raise funds for certain transportation projects named “Envision Silicon Valley.” Both existing and new project proposals submitted by cities will go through a process to determine eligibility for the sales tax measure.
The tax measure is anticipated to include categories such as bicycle improvements and pavement management; funds will be distributed to local agencies on a competitive or per capita basis, according to Cherbone.
Most jurisdictions in the county have projects listed in the VTP 2040 that are connected to their local capital improvement programs and require additional funding. One of them is the San Jose BART extension project, which is expected to carry a multibillion-dollar price tag.
While there are existing sources of funding available to fund VTP 2040 projects, the overall plan is still underfunded by billions of dollars, according to Cherbone. The sales tax measure would bridge that gap by providing an additional source of funding for the next 30 years.
The council is expected to take up the item again at its next meeting in August, at which point they’ll also authorize the final list of projects to be submitted to the VTA.
Link: Saratoga gets a look at VTA’s long-range transportation plan
