The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year as Santa Clara County’s primary transit service provider and congestion management agency.
Throughout Transit Month in September, VTA showcased how it spent #30YearsInMotion by providing sustainable, accessible, and community-focused transportation solutions throughout Santa Clara County.
But VTA’s story begins long before 1995. In fact, while this may be the 30th anniversary of VTA, this is its 52nd year providing transportation to the region.
June 6, 1972, Santa Clara County Transit District (SCCTD) was established when residents approved its creation by more than a two-thirds vote. Governed by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, SCCTD was supported by a 29-member advisory commission, and management services were provided by the County of Santa Clara.
By the end of 1972, SCCTD bought out the three financially strapped local bus lines (Peninsula Transit, San Jose City Lines, and Peerless Stages) and obtained a fleet of 50 buses. On January 1, 1973, Santa Clara County residents boarded their first publicly operated bus service.
In 1982, the County received $2 million from the federal government to fund the preliminary engineering phase for the County’s first light rail line. The construction of the line officially commenced with the construction of the Guadalupe Light Rail Division, which was completed in 1986. The entire 21-mile light rail line would open for service April 21, 1991.
For a couple of years in the early 90s, SCCTD tested out the name Transportation Agency (TA), but ultimately, when SCCTD was designated as the County’s congestion management agency in 1995, it became the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority.
To commemorate this history and examine the past 30 years of accomplishments and milestones built upon the foundation of SCCTD, VTA has assembled a visual timeline ranging from 1995 to 2025. The timeline can be explored on VTA’s Instagram page, or you can review the highlights in the timeline below.
VTA Timeline
1995 | Santa Clara County Transit District (SCCTD) merges with the County’s congestion management agency to become the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA)
1996 | Measure B Transportation Improvement Program is approved
1997 | Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) is founded and funded, in part, by VTA
1998 | Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Ohlone-Chynoweth Affordable Housing is completed
1999 | Light rail station opens in Mountain View
2000 | 100 light rail cars are imported from Japan
2001 | Milpitas light rail station opens
2002 | Hwy 17 main lane widening improvements are completed
2003 | Hwy 85/87 interchange improvements are completed with new freeway connector ramps
2004 | VTA purchases 500+ acres between Hwy 101 and Anderson Reservoir in Morgan Hill to protect the endangered Bay Checkerspot Butterfly
2005 | Winchester light rail extension opens, connecting San Jose to downtown Campbell
2006 | I-880/Coleman Ave. project opens, featuring an underground tunnel that provides direct access to southbound I-880 from the airport
2007 | SR-87 improvements are completed, adding a high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane and lane widening to increase car capacity
2008 | Major bus service changes boost commutes and improve frequency
2009 | VTA awards first civil construction contract to relocate existing Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) for Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)
2010 | Hybrid-diesel bus vehicles are introduced
2011 | VTA Commuter Light Rail Express service begins
2012 | Blossom Hill Pedestrian Bridge opens
2013 | Bay Area Bikeshare program is launched
2014 | US-101/Capitol Expwy/Yerba Buena Interchange improvements are completed, reconfiguring the interchange ramp lanes and adding lanes to enhance traffic flow and safety
2015 | I-280/I-880/Stevens Creek Blvd Interchange improvements are completed, reconfiguring ramps, adding a direct connector, a new off-ramp, and enhancing pedestrian and bicycle access to reduce congestion and improve safety
2016 | New 522 hybrid bus is introduced
2017 | Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) opens along Alum Rock Ave.
2018 | VTA land use approved for Bridge Housing Community Program; tiny homes for the homeless completed in 2020
2019 | VTA partners with California’s Great America, bringing Snoopy and friends to life on bus wraps and shelters to encourage everyone to ride transit to Great America
2020 | Berryessa Transit Center opens in Phase I of VTA’s BART Silicon Valley Extension
2021 | US-101/Palo Alto pedestrian bridge is completed
2022 | US-101/Blossom Hill interchange improvements are completed, earning 2023 Transportation Award. The project included widening ramps, creating a separated bike and pedestrian bridge path that allowed for additional lanes, and upgrading traffic signals to enhance traffic flow
2023 | Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) bus line 59 for public transit connection between Gilroy and Monterey County is restored
2024 | Eastridge to BART Regional Connector (EBRC) construction starts, extending light rail from Alum Rock Transit Center to Eastridge Transit Center
2025 | Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Tamien affordable housing Phase I is completed