Eastridge to BART Regional Connector

EBRC-Summer 2022
In addition to project updates, this newsletter provides information on the project benefits, and an introduction to the station art enhancements activities that begin this fall. Let's dive in!

EBRC-Summer 2021 & Notice of Utility Relocation
To say that 2020 and 2021 have been challenging is an understatement. Even though we at VTA have had to adjust to to the way we work, the planning work on Eastridge to BART Regional Connector Project continued. Let's catch up!

A Stakeholder Working Group (SWG) has been created. Each SWG member was nominated by the Eastridge to BART Regional Connector Policy Advisory Board to represent the unique constituencies that live, work, and play along the project alignment. Their role is to disseminate information to the stakeholders near the project area and to give feedback to the project team. The members are listed below.

VTA has prepared the 2021 Third Addendum to the Final Second Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (Final SEIR-2) for the Eastridge to BART Regional Connector Project.   

The Third Addendum evaluates the removal of an additional 60 – 70 trees along the east side of Capitol Expressway between Ocala Avenue and Quimby Road. The removal of additional trees is a result of new information, received from PG&E, that trees above a certain height under high voltage electric lines are required to be cleared for public safety reasons and to provide access to the lines for maintenance and repairs.

All trees removed by the Project will be replaced at ratios determined by their size and replacement species (i.e., native versus non-native). In the Second Addendum to the Final SEIR-2 approved in February 2020, the VTA Board approved the payment of in-lieu fees to replace trees within two miles of the project corridor to the maximum extent practicable given the limited right-of-way available for tree replacement within the project limits. According to a tree inventory conducted by a certified arborist, the Project will be required to provide an additional 67 – 128 replacement trees depending on the replacement species (i.e., native versus non-native).

On February 18, 2021, the Congestion Management Program and Planning Committee (CMPP) will make a recommendation to VTA's Board of Directors regarding the adoption of the Third Addendum and approval of the proposed change to the Project.

On March 4, 2021, VTA's Board of Directors will consider adoption of the Third Addendum and approval of the proposed change to the Project. 

If you have any written comments on the adoption of the Third Addendum and the approval of the change to the Project, it is requested that you submit them as soon as possible but no later than 12:00 pm on February 17, 2021, for the CMPP meeting, and no later than 12:00 pm on March 4, 2021, for the Board meeting.

Verbal comments may also be provided at both meetings via Zoom. The agenda and zoom link are available: Congestion Management Program and Planning Committee Page

Written comments can be submitted via the following methods:

Mail: Christina Jaworski, Senior Environmental Planner Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Environmental Programs 3331 North First Street, Building B-2 San José, CA 95134-1927

Email: Christina.Jaworski@vta.org

If you have any questions about the Third Addendum,  contact Christina Jaworski, Senior Environmental Planner, at Christina.Jaworski@vta.org.

Previous Environmental Documents

Addendum to Environmental Documents

2019 Final Second Supplemental Environmental Impact Report

2018 Draft Second Supplemental Environmental Impact Report

2014 Final Subsequent Mitigated Negative Declaration

2012 Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement 

2012 Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report

2009-2011 Misc. Environmental Document

2010 Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (Categorical Exclusion)

2007 Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Report

2005 Final Environmental Impact Report

Utility and project construction notices will be posted here, as well as under 'Notices' on the right margin. Check here for a quick search for a notice, the area it pertains to. The latest notices will be on top. Often there is work on the corridor that isn't related to this project, and we can try to help identify if it is not project related. Utility owners will also provide notices to residents and businesses located within 300' of the work area. Any potential interruptions in service will be noticed by the respective utility owner.

2/16/2023: Utility relocations work along S. Capitol Avenue at Crossroads Shopping Center: PG&E and its contractor, (Underground Construction), AT&T, and Comcast will continue the next phase of utility relocations along S. Capitol Avenue, and the landscaped area of the Crossroads Shopping Center located at 459 and 461 S. Capitol Avenue. Workers will be performing construction to install underground utilities.

10/12/2022: Ongoing Construction Activities for Utility Relocation: PG&E, and their contractor, Underground Construction, will begin the next phase of underground utility relocation of gas and electric services. Additional utility owners that share the same areas, AT&T, Comcast, and Crown Castle will coordinate their activities in same area. Most of the work is occurring on Capitol Expressway, and Capitol Avenue. This phase will continue through mid-2023.

7/25/2022: San Jose Water Utility Relocation: Weather and conditions pending, restoration/paving activities could occur through the end of August. Restoration includes paving in multiple areas, including S. Capitol Avenue near the Crossroads Shopping Center, and Highwood Drive. Restoration/Paving will also occur along S. Capitol Avenue @ Bambi Lane, Capitol Expressway @ Kollmar Dr., and Story Road. For additional details, please select San Jose Water Utility Relocation Update.

7/1/2022: West Valley Construction continues to work to connect the new water service to the new fire suppression equipment at Crossroads Shopping Center located at 459 S. Capitol Avenue. San Jose Water Company and its contractor, Pacific Underground Construction (PUC), will also continue work on the underground water line along Capitol Avenue and relocate the fire hydrant on the sidewalk. The existing sidewalk and roadway next to the Crossroads Shopping Center will be restored after the water line work is completed in the area. Download a PDF copy of the notice.

6/21/2022: San Jose Water Utility Relocation: Capitol Avenue/ Crossroads Shopping Center -  Weather and conditions permitting, San Jose Water Company, and their contractor, Pacific Underground Construction (PUC), will continue relocating and installing new underground water lines along Capitol Avenue, next to the Crossroads Shopping Center located at 461 S. Capitol Avenue. Additional work to relocate a fire hydrant and fire suppression equipment will occur on the property in the sidewalk and landscape areas. For complete details, select SJW @ Crossroads June 2022. 

6/1/22: PG&E Gas Line Relocation - Weather and conditions pending, PG&E will replace/relocate sections of their natural gas pipeline located on Capitol Avenue between Bambi Lane and Capitol Avenue. The actual time line of the relocation is about 2-weeks. Preliminary activities could delay the start. It will be complete by end of summer. PG&E crews are coordinating activities directly with private property owners. Download PDF copy of the notice.

2/11/22: San Jose Water Utility Relocation - San Jose Water's contractor, Pacific Underground Construction, will continue relocation of underground facilities, weather and conditions permitting. Their activities are expected to last through March. San Jose Water will directly notify their customers if there are impacts to water service. Activities will occur on Capitol Expressway between Wilbur Avenue and Tudor Court. Addition work will occur on Capitol Expressway at Highwood Drive, Bambi Lane, and Kollmer Drive. Beginning 2/14/22, there will be overnight activities at Capitol Expressway at Story Road intersection.

2/1/2022: (Revised 3/1/2022) MCI/Verizon Underground Relocation - Weather and conditions permitting, this activity takes place on the north and southwest corners of Capitol Expressway at Tully  Road, and north and southwest corners of Capitol Expressway at Swift Lane. MCI/Verizon's contractor noticed the businesses week of 1/31. They have additional work along the expressway at Cunningham and VTA will share the notification when it is received, expected for later this month. Crews will begin working in the Capitol Expressway/Tully Road Intersection March 7. Notices to nearby businesses was provided from Solcom. 

11/8/2021: San Jose Water Utility Relocation - San Jose Water's contractor, Pacific Underground Construction, will begin relocation of underground facilities, weather and conditions permitting, November 15. Their activities are expected to last through mid-March. San Jose Water will directly notify their customers if there are impacts to water service. Activities will occur on Capitol Expressway between Wilbur Avenue and Tudor Court. Addition work will occur on Capitol Expressway at Highwood Drive, Bambi Lane, and Kollmer Drive. 

10/5/2021: MCI/Verizon Underground Relocation - This is a 2-day activity to clear fiber optic cables out from the area that PG&E is relocating the transmission poles. This activity takes place on the east side of Capitol Expressway, on the sidewalk, between Tully and Quimby Road (in front of In & Out Burger area). MCI/Verizon's contractor noticed the businesses week of 9/27. They have additional work along the expressway and VTA will share the notification when it is received. 

This activity is complete.

9/20/2021: PG&E Transmission Lines and Poles Relocation begins. PG&E notified customers week of 9/13. This is to clear the old trellis towers in the center of Capitol Expressway with new poles to the east side of Capitol Expressway, clearing space for the future light rail expansion. 

This activity was completed in December 2021.

8/27/2021: Utility Relocation Overview Description- noted in  Summer 2021 Newsletter, these slides show where the utility companies will be working along Capitol Avenue, Capitol Expressway @ Story Rd, @ Tully Road, and PG&E Transmission lines and pole relocation on Capitol Expressway between Ocala Avenue and Quimby Road. 

7/27/2021: Advance Construction - Building Removal, S. Capitol Expressway @ Story Road - Begins on or about August 3, 2021. Summary: VTA will remove (demolish) the building located at 1093  S. Capitol Expressway. It is private property that VTA owns/acquired for the project. Activities are expected to take 4 days. The property will be cleaned and fencing removed on the last day. Community Outreach staff delivered notices to nearby businesses and residents adjacent the property on 7/27/21. There are not business, traffic, or pedestrian impacts. There will be noise impacts from construction equipment.

5/10/2021: Utility Notice - Gas Line Distribution, S. Capitol Avenue - Begins on or about May 24, 2021. PG&E will mail notices (attached above), and call residents and businesses that are located within 300 feet of the areas they are working in to provide details that could impact their service.
Summary: PG&E is replacing sections of their natural gas pipeline on South Capitol Avenue from Lombard Avenue to East Capitol Expressway at Babb Creek in San Jose. Intermittent lane closures, no parking signs in the the work areas will be posted. Please plan for minor delays when driving through the project area.

2/2/2021: Advance Construction Work - Crossroads Shopping Center Notice, expected to begin on or about February 8, 2021. 
Summary: Activities are on private property with some intermittent sidewalk and traffic lane impact during tree removal. This notice was mailed on 1/29/2021 to and including the area 1/4 mile of the 461 S. Capitol Ave., emailed to project stakeholders, and to the immediate Nextdoor neighborhoods. Community outreach staff delivered notices door-door to businesses on 2/1/2021. There are no business access impacts. 

Check here for a monthly briefing of current activities. For full details, refer to the notices and newsletters.

EBRC Monthly Update, February 21, 2023

EBRC Monthly Update, November 14, 2022

In Case You Missed It! Community Feedback for EBRC Artistic Design, and More

We have been very excited to introduce the community to the artists selected to enhance the new light rail stations planned for Story Road and Eastridge. Through a rigorous process of artist outreach and selection, Amir Fallah, and the team of Laura Haddad and Tom Drugan, have been commissioned. These artists are all experienced public artists. Their work extends beyond their studios and responds to site and community. They also have track records for sizable, successfully maintainable, permanent public artworks.

 

The Station Art Enhancement Community Meetings held on January 9 and January 11 (facilitated in Spanish) were the “kick-off” for the artists’ design process, in advance of them doing any design work. The purpose of the meetings was for the community to become acquainted with the artists, and to get a sense of their visual vocabulary and their approach to public art. Each artists presented examples of previous public art installations, and their approach to the designs and mediums use. These meetings were also meant to provide foundational inspiration for the artists’ work, here, in San Jose.

 

Through an on-line activity, participants responded to four questions:

1.      Which neighborhood are you connected to? What is important for us to know about it?

2.      Think about a place that is special to you in San Jose. Describe the spot and why you chose it?
    
3.      Please provide three words describing what is important to you personally, or which symbolize your community?

4.      What is one of your favorite public artworks in San Jose (or anywhere)? Why?

The meetings provided an opportunity for the artists to learn about the community. Participants represented a wide variety of East San Jose neighborhoods. When asked about a place that is special in San Jose, we heard about the foothills, the greenery, the views, and about the Mexican Heritage Plaza, Alum Rock Park, Eastridge Mall, Marks Hotdogs, Emma Prusch Farm, just to name a few.

Public response provided the artists with a good sense of the community, articulating the richness and diversity of East San Jose.

In case you missed it, the meetings were recorded. Due to a technical glitch, the meeting on January 9 had to be re-recorded. Instead of watching the activity, we share how it went. The meeting on January 11 went off without any glitches and the recording, in Spanish, has the same artists presentation, and you can watch how the activity was facilitated. Links to the recorded meetings are available on YouTube:

EBRC Station Art Enhancement 1-9-2023

EBRC Majora artistica la estacion 1-11-2023

Links to the slides available in English here: January 9, 2023, presentation and script

Links to the slides available in Spanish here: January 11, 2023, presentation and script

We are still accepting comments to the above questions via email: community.outreach@vta.org, and we will pass that along to the art team.

Later this spring, we will host the next meeting to update and share the concepts each of the artists’ have for the new stations!

Stakeholder Working Group

The Eastridge to BART Regional Connector Stakeholder Working Group meeting scheduled for Thursday, February 23, 2023, has been cancelled. The project does not have major updates to funding or the construction schedule at this time. Currently, we plan to resume our normal schedule in May 2023. The EBRC-Policy Advisory Board will meet on March 15.

Utility Relocation Activities

Crews relocating underground utilities are progressing along Capitol Expressway and Story Road. There will be additional activities resuming around Capitol Avenue and Capitol Expressway, mainly behind the Crossroads Shopping area. There will be intermittent lane and shoulder closures as needed keep the community and work crews safe. Traffic control includes personnel to assist drivers/pedestrians/bikes, through work areas and with driveway access to businesses. Staff is working closely with the businesses to coordinate and ensure access to them is always available.

In Case You Missed It!

We have been very excited to introduce the community to the artists selected to enhance the new light rail stations planned for Story Road and Eastridge. Through a rigorous process of artist outreach and selection, Amir Fallah, and the team of Laura Haddad and Tom Drugan, have been commissioned. These artists are all experienced public artists. Their work extends beyond their studios and responds to site and community. They also have track records for sizable, successfully maintainable, permanent public artworks.

The Station Art Enhancement Community Meetings held on January 9 and January 11 (facilitated in Spanish) were the “kick-off” for the artists’ design process, in advance of them doing any design work. The purpose of the meetings were for the community to become acquainted with the artists, and to get a sense of their visual vocabulary and their approach to public art. Each artists presented examples of previous public art installations, and their approach to the designs and mediums used. These meetings were also meant to provide foundational inspiration for the artists’ work, here, in San Jose.

Through an on-line activity, participants responded to four questions:

1. Which neighborhood are you connected to? What is important for us to know about it?

2. Think about a place that is special to you in San Jose. Describe the spot and why you chose it?

3. Please provide three words describing what is important to you personally, or which symbolize your community?

4. What is one of your favorite public artworks in San Jose (or anywhere)? Why?

The meetings provided an opportunity for the artists to learn about the community. It was not surprising that participants represented a wide variety of East San Jose neighborhoods! When asked about a place that is special in San Jose, we heard about the foothills, the greenery, the views, and about the Mexican Heritage Plaza, Alum Rock Park, Eastridge Mall, Marks Hotdogs, Emma Prusch Farm, and the list goes on.

Through the responses to the four questions, the artists gained a good sense of the community. The responses articulated the richness and diversity of East San Jose. It helped the artists get to know you.

In case you missed it, the meetings were recorded. Due to a technical glitch, the meeting on January 9 had to be re-recorded. Instead of watching the activity, we share how it went. The meeting on January 11 went off without any glitches and the recording, in Spanish, has the same artists presentation, and you can watch how the activity was facilitated. Links to the recorded meetings are available on YouTube:

EBRC Station Art Enhancement 1-9-2023

EBRC Majora artistica la estacion 1-11-2023

January 9, 2023 - presentation slides and script

January 11, 2023 - presentation slides and script (Spanish)

If you attended, or missed it, but had a thought to any of the questions asked that we should include, go ahead and send that to community.outreach@vta.org, and we will pass that along to the art team.

Later this spring, we will host the next meeting to update and share the concepts each of the artists’ have for the new stations!

 

 

Project Videos

Curious to see how Capitol Expressway will look with light rail when the project is complete? Check out this video via VTA's Youtube: Eastridge to BART Regional Connector Video.