Toro Taxes CEO Mayra P\u00e9rez, who is also president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Silicon Valley, said construction has blocked the main entrance to her office\u2019s shopping center dozens of times over the past year. It\u2019s led customers to assume it\u2019s closed. She\u2019s heard other neighboring business owners consider closing or relocating due to the lack of revenue.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s happening when we miss clients, we don\u2019t have money to pay rent,\u201d P\u00e9rez told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cIf they continue to close that entry, I won\u2019t have clients, and then how can I pay the big rent I have?\u201d<\/p>\n The regional connector is scheduled to finish in 2028. The project will extend the light rail by 2.4 miles from the Eastridge Transit Center to the Alum Rock Light Rail Station along an elevated track, which mostly follows the median along Capitol Expressway. VTA is\u00a0also constructing a new station at Story Road.<\/p>\n Short-term pain for long-term gain<\/p>\n The project has been heralded<\/a>\u00a0as an opportunity to connect lower-income communities in East San Jose to the Bay Area\u2019s regional transportation network. District 5 Councilmember Peter Ortiz, who represents much of the corridor under construction, said the connector is meant to support the very businesses the construction is threatening to displace.<\/p>\n \u201cThe community outreach team has been doing a good job at contacting residents and speaking to businesses, but if they don\u2019t have the money to support the businesses \u2026 you\u2019re not solving the problem businesses are facing,\u201d Ortiz told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n To Ortiz, the situation is familiar. A decade ago, construction from VTA\u2019s\u00a0Santa Clara-Alum Rock Bus Rapid Transit line<\/a>\u00a0created traffic chokepoints and mayhem in Little Portugal, hitting small businesses hard as customers dwindled. At the time, Ortiz was a community organizer who helped push VTA to acknowledge the impact and compensate business owners for losses.<\/p>\n There have been dozens of lane closures and turn changes, which Ortiz said has led to safety issues on nearby residential roads as drivers avoid Capitol Expressway. Parts of the sidewalk have also been blocked off or torn out during construction, leading to pedestrians walking in the road.<\/p>\n Ortiz said his office has been hearing from residents and business owners around the Capitol Expressway construction every week. He gained support from VTA board members, including Mayor Matt Mahan, Councilmember Domingo Candelas, Santa Clara County Supervisor Sylvia Arenas and VTA Board Chair and Campbell Mayor Sergio Lopez. The group submitted a referral for VTA to once again find ways to support small businesses facing challenges because of the construction.<\/p>\n A VTA spokesperson said the proposed assistance program still needs to be fleshed out, and approved by the VTA board of directors. While the details are still being worked out, the spokesperson said it\u2019ll likely include compensating businesses being impacted by construction.<\/p>\n The agency has multiple points of contact for residents, the spokesperson said, including quarterly project updates sent to residents via mail, hundreds of home visits and more than 80 community events.<\/p>\n Encouraging people to shop locally<\/p>\n Kenneth Ronsse, VTA\u2019s deputy director of engineering and program delivery, said they\u2019re working to balance safe construction needs with minimizing neighborhood impacts.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an important investment in this corridor that we\u2019re all very proud to be a part of,\u201d Ronsse told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cWe also recognize that construction is inconvenient and we take very seriously our work minimizing this inconvenience.\u201d<\/p>\n Ronsse said the team launched a \u201cShop Capitol\u201d marketing campaign to encourage residents to visit local businesses, but may expand its advertising as part of the assistance program.<\/p>\n While advertising would help, Fernando Galindo, owner of restaurant La Grullensa, said economic relief would alleviate immediate pain. He knew the construction could reduce foot traffic after VTA\u2019s outreach, but the severity has been damaging.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an important investment in this corridor that we\u2019re all very proud to be a part of. We also recognize that construction is inconvenient and we take very seriously our work minimizing this inconvenience.\u201d<\/p>\n Kenneth Ronsse, VTA spokesperson<\/p>\n Galindo said his restaurant used to generate between $800 to $1,100 during the first shift from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but now the average is $300. He said he\u2019s had to cut his supplies and staff hours to make ends meet, and doesn\u2019t generate enough revenue to even pay himself.<\/p>\n He\u2019s hoping to hold out until VTA\u2019s assistance program comes online, because the lack of revenue is unsustainable.<\/p>\n \u201cWe survived COVID, we survived the housing crisis back in \u201908,\u201d Galindo told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cThis right now is really to the point of, I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m going to survive this next couple months.\u201d<\/p>\n B. Sakura Cannestra is a freelance reporter who previously worked at San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight through the California Local News Fellowship. Contact her at\u00a0bsakuracannestra@gmail.com<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0@SakuCannestra<\/a>\u00a0on X.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763442374_15_LNM-20250616-SJSPOTLIGHTLOGO-01.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763442375_976_Capitol-Exp-1-1024x579.jpg\")
VTA\u2019s Eastridge to BART Regional Connector has been under construction for the past two years, causing traffic blockages and disrupting small businesses and residents. (B. Sakura Cannestra\/San Jose Spotlight)<\/p>\n