The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) board of directors will vote on June 27 whether to “offramp” Kiewit Shea Traylor JV (KSTJV) as the tunnelling contractor for BART Silicon Valley Phase II (BSVII)
The vote follows a recommendation by the Oversight Committee to select a new tunnel contractor after receiving repeated proposals exceeding twice the project budget. VTA’s strategy is to control costs across the project and ensure it stays on track and on budget.
Following an extensive procurement analysis, VTA’s move aims to increase competition across the programme, enhance cost efficiency, and drive long-term project benefits. The VTA says strong industry interest signals a robust bidding process that will support job creation, budget discipline, and technical innovation.
“VTA is committed to delivering BART Silicon Valley Phase II in a way that is both transformative and financially responsible,” said Tom Maguire, VTA chief megaprojects delivery officer. “This approach ensures we get the best value for taxpayers while securing a sustainable future for the project.”
VTA staff anticipate that the overall timeline will remain on track, as the rescheduling of construction package rebidding is expected to be balanced by design enhancements and more efficient construction methods. KSTJV will complete ongoing early work, including tunnel portal construction, concurrently while the contract for major construction of the tunnel shifts to a new structure aligned with VTA’s budget.
The news comes in the same week that the project’s Herrenknecht EPB TBM passed its factory acceptance test. Herrenknecht US & Canada’s president and general manager, Steffen Dubé, posted photos of the event on LinkedIn.
