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Last week, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) issued a list of projects recommended to receive federal funds in 2006. Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s (VTA) Bay Area Rapid Transit extension to Milpitas, San Jose and Santa Clara, Calif., was not one of them.

The project was rated as "not recommended" because the extension currently does not meet FTA’s local financial commitment and/or project justification expectations, according to a prepared statement. As requested by the administration, VTA now is obtaining ridership estimates and travel time benefits to submit to FTA in June, and reviewing construction alternatives to submit in August. FTA might consider the project for federal New Starts funds in 2007.

In the meantime, VTA will continue with preliminary engineering work, which is scheduled to be complete in late 2006. The authority still expects to complete final design and begin construction in 2008, and open the extension in 2015.

The $4 billion, 16.3-mile extension would include seven stations, and a maintenance and vehicle storage yard in San Jose/Santa Clara.