VTA Breaks Ground on Fremont Transportation Project

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority officials broke ground last week on a project that will widen Mission Boulevard in Fremont, build new on- and off- ramps and add a grade separation for railroad and BART tracks.

The Mission/Warren Area improvements will widen Mission Boulevard to six lanes between Interstate Highway 880 and Warm Springs Boulevard, according to VTA officials.

In addition, new on- and off-ramps to Mission will be built at Kato Road and Warren Avenue will be lowered to separate it from Union Pacific Railroad tracks and BART tracks planned for the area. The project will also install two new railroad bridges, two BART bridges and one maintenance bridge over Mission and Warren.

The Warren Avenue grade separation will allow for a fully separated BART extension through the area. Warren will eventually also get new pedestrian sidewalks and striped bike lanes.

"These important improvements in Fremont will benefit the community by expanding mobility in Alameda County, improving transportation infrastructure and preparing the current railroad corridor for BART Silicon Valley," said Santa Clara County Supervisor and VTA Board Chairman Ken Yeager.

The $151 million Mission/Warren project is jointly funded by the city of Fremont, Alameda County Transportation Commission, Caltrans and VTA, and is slated for completion in 2015, officials said.

BART broke ground in April on the first 10-mile segment of a planned 16-mile extension from Fremont to Milpitas, San Jose and Santa Clara. The 10-mile extension, a $2.3 billion project, is expected to go into service before 2018, according to the VTA.

The second phase of the extension project, which includes a 5.1-mile subway tunnel through downtown San Jose, ending near the Santa Clara Caltrain Station, is expected to cost $3.6 billion.

The project is the largest public works project in the county's history, according to the VTA.

—Bay City News