Leave a little earlier and pack some extra patience if you drive to work in downtown San Jose. BART to San Jose construction begins Monday morning, and there likely will be delays.
BART crews will be collecting soil samples and mapping out where utilities are located. The work is scheduled from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. over the next seven weeks or so. They will be digging in the area of Santa Clara Street from Market Street to Third Street, and parts of that area could have only one lane open to traffic in each direction. It may also mean fewer parking spaces.
The Valley Transportation Authority says it’s crucial prep work needed for engineers to design the system.
"We need to look at soil conditions and where the utilities are placed, so when it’s time to do heavy construction and build the tunnel and the stations, we know where everything is located and what we’re dealing with underground," VTA spokeswoman Brandi Childress said.
The VTA says crews will be digging 150 feet to collect soil samples using a vacuum process that is relatively quiet.
There will still be access for pedestrians and bicycles.
Heavy construction is not expected until early 2021, and completion is expected in 2026.
