SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) — A project aimed to expand public transportation options in the South Bay is causing a lot of headaches.It’s been two years since the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) started construction on its Eastridge to Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Regional Connector.
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While the project is still far from over, people who live and work around the work zone say something needs to be done or their livelihoods are at risk.VTA’s light rail connector project along Capitol Expressway in East San Jose is creating a nightmare for drivers and businesses — complete with traffic cones, construction equipment and signs saying, “sidewalk closed.”“Normally, it would take them, before the construction, five minutes max to come from, say, to Capitol right here. Now it’s taking them 15 to 20, even more because of the zigzagging, less lanes, more of the traffic mess. That’s really hurting because people don’t want to deal with that,” said Fernando Galindo, owner of La Grullensa Restaurant.Galindo has been running La Grullensa at the Crossroads Shopping Center since 1991.He said sales at his Mexican restaurant dropped as much as 60% since the construction began — the worst he’s ever experienced.“We’ve survived COVID. We’ve survived the housing market crash in ‘08. It wasn’t even as close as bad as it is now,” added Galindo.
Galindo said a part of the problem is that construction crews have been blocking the entrance to the shopping center.“The entrance behind me was completely blocked for a good week,” said Galindo. “On and off. They would open it up for a bit and close it when they were bringing in machinery. People coming from down the Alum Rock area weren’t coming in because it’s blocked.”“The other entrance was always open. However, there were three to four big rigs stretching all the way down to the entrance that would block the site from being seen whether it was open or not,” added Galindo. “When people would see that it was open, it was already too late to make a turn in here. So they would just continue on their way. That’s really affected more than anything.”San Jose Councilmember Peter Ortiz represents the Capitol Expressway Corridor. He said his office has been working with the mayor and other city officials to get VTA to address the community’s concerns.“These are not Fortune 500 businesses,” said Councilmember Ortiz. “These are mom and pop, families who put their money together, funds that have been raised for generations. I’ve already forced them to have a town hall in my district and they did — I appreciate that. But one town hall to address, to alleviate the concerns, is not enough.”The VTA has set aside $500,000 to help small businesses and people who live in the area.Councilmember Ortiz is hoping to get that money distributed as soon as possible, but he said it won’t be enough to solve everything.“This isn’t a small business issue. Families, hardworking residents of San Jose have seen cracks in their driveways, cracks in their home’s foundations. To fix [costs] tens of thousands of dollars. We can’t just give them a band-aid,” said Councilmember Ortiz.As the holidays approach, Ortiz plans to highlight small businesses along the corridor to help boost sales.
KRON4 also reached out to VTA for comment but have not yet heard back in time for this report.The Regional Connector is scheduled to be finished in 2028…