2016 Measure B

The categories and transportation projects eligible for 2016 Measure B funds are as follows: 

 

• VTA’s BART Silicon Valley Phase II: $1.5 Billion. Downtown San Jose & Santa Clara. Six miles, four stations. New regional rail corridor. Links to major transit
• Bicycle and Pedestrian Program $250 million. Eliminate bike/ped gaps. Improve connections, mobility. Safer, more convenient.
• Caltrain Corridor Capacity Improvements $314 million. Expand ridership capacity. Level boarding. Countywide service improvements.
• Caltrain Grade Separations $700 million. Separate tracks from roadways. Safer for pedestrians, bicyclists. Reduce traffic congestion.
• County Expressways $750 million. 20 candidate projects. Intersections/interchanges, widening, grade separations. Reduce congestion, improve connections.
• Highway Interchanges $750 million. 24 candidate projects. Connectors, on/off ramps, widening. Improve connectivity, safety, reduce congestion.
• Local Streets and Roads $1.2 billion. Road repairs/improvements. Complete Streets requirement. All cities/towns receive funds.
• State Route 85 Corridor $350 million. Corridor transit study. Transit and congestion relieve projects. Noise abatement.
• Transit Operations $500 million. Increase bus frequency. First/last mile connections. Programs: seniors, disabled, low-income, students.

Program Guidelines

The VTA Board of Directors adopted guidelines for each of the nine Program Categories at their October 2017 and November 2017 meetings. These guidelines are intended to direct the implementation of each program category and propose how the program category funds should be allocated.

• BART Phase II Program Guidelines
• Bike & Ped Program Guidelines
• Caltrain Corridor Capacity Improvements Program Guidelines
• Caltrain Grade Separation Program Guidelines
• County Expressways Program Guidelines
• Highway Interchanges Program Guidelines
• Local Streets & Roads Program Guidelines
• SR 85 Corridor Program Guidelines
• Transit Operations Program Guidelines

Transportation projects, especially larger projects, are typically built using a variety of funding sources. A countywide sales tax provides a local revenue source that can be leveraged to help obtain additional funds through regional, state and federal fund sources.

What's New

A lawsuit challenging the validity of 2016 Measure B was filed in 2017. Nearly two years after Santa Clara County voters approved 2016 Measure B followed by a drawn out judicial process, the California Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal on a meritless legal challenge. This paved the way for the lower court, which also ruled against that challenge, to allow VTA to begin dispersing the accumulated funding in escrow, as of January 30, 2019.

As the challenge and subsequent appeal worked its way through the legal process, funds were collected and held in escrow until the lawsuit could be resolved.