By Khalida Sarwari
BART, regional transit and local officials gathered in Fremont today to break ground on the subway section of the Warm Springs extension project, which they say will ultimately bring BART closer to Silicon Valley.
The subway portion of the extension extends BART south through Fremont Central Park, including under a portion of Lake Elizabeth and beneath the Union Pacific Railroad freight track to just north of Paseo Padre Parkway.
Spokesman Linton Johnson said the 5.4-mile extension is an investment that will benefit East Bay residents who have been asking for a link to the Silicon Valley for years. Johnson said the fully funded extension would also take thousands of cars off the road and create about 2,000 additional parking spaces.
“It reduces air pollution, it’s going to stimulate the economy with jobs that will be created or sustained as a result of building it,” Johnson said. “This is a wonderful thing.”
Johnson said the contractor’s bid for the subway section was $136 million, which is 45 percent below the transit agency’s estimate of $249 million, thereby saving taxpayer dollars. The project’s total budget is about $890 million.
Another component of the extension underway is an overpass that will carry BART trains above Paseo Padre Parkway.
BART contractors will soon begin construction of two ventilation structures and relocation of a number of amenities within Fremont Central Park, including the dog park, basketball courts and related parking. It’s expected that the construction will start next year.
BART officials say they anticipate that the construction work will take about three and a half years and the new station will open for business in 2014.