Construction Update
August 12, 2015

Expect Increased Construction Work in September

Overview
An extended light rail shutdown and construction blitz is scheduled to begin the night of Friday, September 4, 2015 and end early Monday, September 14, 2015 (light rail will be operating for the Monday morning commute). This time period encompasses both the Labor Day holiday weekend and the Mountain View Arts and Wine Festival the following weekend. 

During the light rail shutdown, substitute bus service will be provided between the Mountain View and Middlefield light rail stations. The bus bridge adds between five and 10 minutes to a typical trip and service levels duplicate that of light rail. 

VTA’s ridership numbers show an increase in light rail ridership of approximately 100 people a day during past Art and Wines festival weekends. Ambassadors will be on site at all three affected stations to assist riders. 

The weeklong closure is necessary to help keep the project on schedule. Based on the input from local residents, VTA has limited late night work and is instead focusing on extended work periods. Civil construction is slated to wrap up in October 2015, although signal, switch, track and communications testing will extend to year’s end. 

Construction Activities
During the extended Labor Day weekend, crews will be working where light rail crosses Central Expressway, both during day and night hours. Track will be installed across a portion of Central Expressway, and that work includes excavating soil and replacing it with rock ballast, compacting the rail bed, placing pre-cast concrete track panels and restoring the roadway, among other activities.  Signal, communications and overhead electrical system work will also be taking place. 

While work is taking place on Central Expressway, crews will also be working around the clock throughout the extended closure on the section of track between Central Expressway and the Whisman Light Rail Station. Work on the overhead electrical system, installing train signals and utility cabinets, placing and tamping ballast, and laying track—including track that crosses Whisman Station Drive—will all be undertaken during the 10 day closure. 

Currently, limited nighttime construction activity is taking place at this location and will continue up until the Labor Day week construction blitz. 

Traffic Impacts
During the Labor Day weekend, eastbound Central Expressway traffic, between Whisman Road and Ferguson Drive, will be shifted to the opposite side of the expressway.  Uniformed police officers will direct traffic at the two intersections. 

Expect weekday and weeknight lane closures on Central Expressway during non-commute hours. In addition, Whisman Station Drive will be impacted throughout the extended construction period, with either lane closures or full closure at the light rail track crossing. 

Light Rail Service Impacts
Substitute bus service will provided between Mountain View and Middlefield stations during the extended closure (no bus bridge service at Whisman). At the Mountain View Transit Center, bus bridge buses will use a temporary bus stop on Central Expressway located adjacent to the light rail station. 

During the week-long light rail shutdown, there will be no direct service, either by light rail or bus bridge, between the Whisman and Mountain View stations. Passengers wanting to travel between the stations will need to use the Mountain View to Middlefield bus bridge and ride light rail between Whisman and Middlefield.