1991
BART prepared an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Warm Springs Extension project (WSX) that analyzed a series of alternatives for extending the BART system to the Warm Springs District of Fremont.
1992
BART's Board of Directors certified the Final EIR and adopted a project for the WSX; however, the project was not constructed because sufficient funds were not available. Public support has remained strong for the extension of rail transit service from Fremont to southern Alameda County. In response to public interest, BART and other transit agencies continued to study both the project adopted in 1992 and larger regional corridor projects.
1994
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) prepared the Fremont-South Bay Corridor Report, which analyzed several alternatives for transit service in the regional corridor, including a BART alignment.
2000
BART and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) collaborated to prepare the BART Extension Study from Fremont to Milpitas, San Jose and Santa Clara, which examined a BART alignment along the Union Pacific (UP) railroad right-of-way. That same year, Alameda County voters reauthorized Alameda County's transportation sales tax (Measure B) to provide funding for a series of transportation-related projects, including a BART extension from Fremont to Warm Springs.
2002
VTA purchased the former Western Pacific (WP) Milpitas Line from UP, which extends approximately 15 miles from Fremont to San Jose. Read more on BART to Milpitas/San Jose/Santa Clara.
2003
The state environmental review process was concluded according to the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). On March 25, 2003 the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (Draft SEIR) was circulated for public review. On June 26, 2003 the BART Board of Directors certified that the Final SEIR was complete and in compliance with CEQA requirements and adopted the project. On October 9, 2003 the BART Board of Directors approved WSX for construction as a Design-Build "Best Value" project. View the Executive Summary (1.27 mb) of the SEIR.
2004
The Warm Springs Extension was originally approved by BART as a state and locally funded project. Changes in state transportation priorities resulted in BART seeking to become eligible for federal funds. To become eligible for such funds, the project was required to complete an environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
2005
In March of 2005, the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Warm Springs Extension Project was published under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
2006
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), as lead federal agency, and BART released a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Warm Springs Extension Project in July of 2006. The FTA and BART considered and incorporated the results of previous studies into the FEIS, including the 1992 BART Warm Springs Extension Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and the 2003 Supplemental EIR. In addition, the FEIS complies with other environmental requirements that apply only to federal actions and not to the CEQA analysis previously conducted. These requirements include:
- Executive Orders on Environmental Stewardship, Transportation Infrastructure, Environmental Justice, Floodplain Management, and Protection of Wetlands
- Federal Department of Transportation Act (Section 4(f))
- Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (Section 6(f))
- National Historic Preservation Act (Section 106)
The Final SEIR and the FEIS are available at the Fremont Main Library and the MTC/ABAG library. These documents are also available for public review at the BART Transit System Development Office, 300 Lakeside Drive, 21st Floor, Oakland, CA 94612. You may also download a copy of the Executive Summary of the DEIS or view the two-volume FEIS.
The FTA issued a Record of Decision (ROD) on October 24, 2006, which determined that the NEPA requirements have been satisfied for the Warm Springs Extension project. You may download a copy of the ROD, the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Plan (MMRP) or the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) relating to cultural resources.
In 2006, the Alameda County Transportation Improvement Authority (ACTIA) created a Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) to address project funding and implementation challenges facing the project. The WSX PAC is composed of representatives from ACTIA, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), the Alameda County Congestion Management Agency (ACCMA), the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (SCVTA), the City of Fremont, and BART.
2007
Following receipt of the ROD in late 2006, BART re-evaluated its implementation strategy for the project and began preparing for the final design and construction phases. First, an agreement was reached with the City of Fremont for the construction of the BART Paseo Padre Parkway Overpass structure as part of the City's Washington Blvd/Paseo Padre Parkway Grade Separation Project. Constructing the BART structure as part of the City's contract would eliminate the need for costly and disruptive demolition and reconstruction later on. The Grade Separation contract was awarded and construction began in the Spring of 2007.
Secondly, Right-of-Way acquisition activities for the WSX project resumed in earnest, including the purchase of approximately 3.5 miles of the former WP ROW from VTA in the summer of 2007.
Third, BART began final design of the subway beneath Fremont Central Park as a stand alone contract package (the "Fremont Central Park Subway" contract). This approach is intended to minimize overall escalation costs and deal with the special needs and risks associated with the underground portion of the project.
Fourth, technical studies resumed in the area of systems engineering in preparation for the "Line, Track, Station & Systems" contract, which would complete the design and construction of the extension.
