Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in the USA has announced that it will begin discussions with Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) regarding its participation in the Expedited Project Delivery Pilot Program. FTA is pursuing an agreement with the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority in San Jose for the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Silicon Valley Phase II project. The project investment is estimated at USD 5.58 billion.

The Pilot Program is aimed at expediting delivery of new projects that utilize public-private partnerships, are planned to be operated and maintained by employees of an existing public transportation provider, and have a federal share not exceeding 25 percent of the project cost. It is also aimed at increasing innovation, improving efficiency and timeliness of project delivery, and encouraging new revenue streams.

In September 2018, FTA announced that it was accepting expressions of interest from transit project sponsors for the Pilot Program. The law allows the award of up to eight grant agreements under the program. FTA received expressions of interest from four agencies for seven projects.

VTA´s Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Silicon Valley Phase II PPP project is the largest single public infrastructure project ever constructed in Santa Clara County. The project is a six-mile, four-station extension that will expand BART operations from Berryessa/North San Jose through downtown San Jose to the City of Santa Clara. The Phase II Project will include an approximately five-mile tunnel, two mid-tunnel ventilation facilities, a maintenance facility and storage yard, three underground stations (Alum Rock/28th Street, Downtown San Jose, Diridon), and one at-grade station (Santa Clara).

The project will provide rail service that will close the regional rail gap between East Bay and Santa Clara in the West Bay. Phase II is estimated to carry 52,000 passengers to destinations throughout the Bay Area by 2035. 

The project is currently in the design and engineering stage from 2018 to 2022 and the construction is scheduled for 2022-2026. On January 2019 VTA awarded General Engineering Consultant contract to Mott MacDonald/PGH Wong.