Santa Clara

Bay Area Transportation Projects in Funding Jeopardy?

BART's expansion into the South Bay, along with several other Bay Area transportation projects, could be in jeopardy because of a lack of funds, according to a national transportation research group.

There are many roadwork repairs and infrastructure projects underway around the region, causing traffic delays and headaches for commuters. And a group called TRIP says some of those projects are in danger of running out of money and not being completed on schedule.

"When you look at the most critically needed transportation projects that are gonna keep the system mobile and keep the economy moving and keep people moving and safe, most of these don't currently have adequate funding in place," said Rocky Moretti, director of policy for TRIP.

Responding to TRIP's remarks, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission admits it needs to raise more money but insists it is doing so and will continue to do so to finish the work.

"We've got tremendous work to do, huge backlogs in terms of pavement maintenance and what most people just call potholes," said MTC's Dave Cortese.

Other projects that TRIP says may be underfunded are highway widenings in Santa Clara, Sonoma and Marin counties.

TRIP says one of the problems is the Bay Area is growing so quickly with so many people needing to get around that fundraising has become a full-time job.

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