Construction to begin on subway section of Fremont BART extension

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On August 24, BART reached another milestone on a major phase of the Warm Springs Extension project that will ultimately bring BART closer to Silicon Valley. BART issued a "Notice to Proceed" to Shimmick Construction Company, Inc./Skanska USA Civil West California District Inc. Joint Venture, which will allow them to begin the extensive construction project that will create and support tens of thousands of jobs and help stimulate Bay Area economy.

"Construction to
extend BART service 5.4 miles southward to a new station in Fremont’s Warm
Springs District will begin this fall," BART Board President Thomas
Blalock said. "I am pleased to announce that the final bid for this long-awaited
phase of the extension is $136 million – 45 percent below our original engineer’s
estimate of $249 million."

This is the first contract
of a two-contract project and it is for the construction of the underground phase
of the extension. Later this year, the second contract for the aboveground
elements-including the line, trackwork, station and systems-is anticipated to
be advertised for bid, with construction slated for 2010.

According to the American
Public Transportation Association’s economic formula, both phases of the work
will create and support an estimated 26,700 direct and indirect job
opportunities. It involves constructing the Warm Springs Extension alignment between
Walnut Avenue and the eastern side of Fremont Central Park. Preliminary work to
prepare for right-of-way construction includes tree and shrub removal, utility
relocation and erecting fencing. Once that phase is done, the crews will begin
early critical activities.

Keeping the park open to
the public as the extension is under way is a key priority. To achieve this,
crews will relocate the dog park, basketball courts and some parking to an
adjacent area in the park. These facilities must be complete and open to the
public before the existing amenities are taken out of service to make way for
further construction.

BART anticipates that the
subway construction will last for approximately three and a half years and the
station will open for business in 2014.

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