Antioch eBART Extension Contract Awarded To Marin Firm
ANTIOCH (KCBS) - BART has taken a major step forward in its plan to expand to Antioch. The transit agency awarded the first construction contract for the project on Thursday.
The eBART extension was dubbed full steam ahead following that decision, with a goal of launching work on the long-awaited line by the end of the month.
KCBS' Melissa Culross Reports:
"We're finally putting the shovels into the ground. Let the dirt fly, as James Fang, our board president likes to say," declared BART chief spokesperson, Linton Johnson. "And try to create some jobs for folks out there and also create some traffic congestion relief."
The BART board voted Thursday to award Novato-based West Bay Builders the first eBART contract. West Bay Builders was hired to perform initial track work and platform construction.
"The board just approved the first construction contract for the eBART extension," Johnson explained. "eBART is the Eastern Contra Costa County extension. It extends the line ten miles from Pittsburg/Bay Point into Antioch."
"eBART is a version of BART. It's not classic BART, not the trains that you normally see," said Johnson. "It's a diesel unit, very clean burning diesel, but it will be an easy transfer from the regular train to an eBART train."
Johnson declared that the project was on the right track, with work was slated to begin within a matter of weeks.
"We're going to have a groundbreaking on the 29th of October and we're going to finally get that extension out into Eastern Contra Costa County."
The eBART extension was expected to open in 2015 or 2016.
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