![]() On June 6, 2006, voters defeated the measure by a margin of 58% to 42%. The measure would have funded improvements to local hospitals, clinics, and transportation. It was advocated by supporters of the BART Silicon Valley extension and labor groups. In 2006, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors placed a half-cent general sales tax increase for unspecified transportation projects along with other county services. VTA continued to design BART and prepare the required environmental documents. The FTA was concerned about the ability of VTA to operate BART and other bus services at the same time. In the process of obtaining the federal funding necessary to build the BART extension, the Federal Transit Administration issued a "Not Recommended" rating in January 2004. ![]() To make up for a shortfall in projected federal funding, an increase in the sales tax by 0.125 percent was proposed if additional federal funding were secured. In 2000, Santa Clara County voters approved a 30-year half-cent sales tax increase to fund BART, which took effect in April 2006. Minor service at Palo Alto near San Mateo County had also been planned originally. Santa Clara County was originally planned to be part of the BART system, but local governments did not approve. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) built the Berryessa extension, and intends to build the final downtown San Jose extension, but BART operates and maintains the completed portion of the extension and will also do so for the final phase when completed. Initial testing and preliminary construction activities began in January 2019. Targeted for completion in 2029–2030, it would add three new subway stations south of Berryessa: Alum Rock/28th Street, Downtown San Jose, Diridon, and a surface station in Santa Clara. The $5.6-billion third phase to downtown San Jose remains unfunded. Many credited the former Mayor of San Jose, Ron Gonzales, with bringing this project to fruition. Construction began in 2012, and the extension and its two new stations were inaugurated on June 12, 2020, while service for the public began on the next day. The $2.3-billion second phase, known as phase I of Silicon Valley BART extension or the Berryessa extension, includes two new stations, the Milpitas and Berryessa/North San Jose stations. Construction began in 2009, and the extension and new station opened in 2017. The first phase was the Warm Springs BART extension, built by BART at a cost of $790 million, terminating at the new Warm Springs/South Fremont station. Planned since at least 1981, the project has seven stations in three sequential phases. The Silicon Valley BART extension is an ongoing effort to expand service by Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) into Santa Clara County via the East Bay from its former terminus at the Fremont station in Alameda County.
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