San Jose Sharks sue over South Bay BART extension: report

SAN JOSE, Calif. - The San Jose Sharks have filed a lawsuit trying to stop work on the planned South Bay BART extension, The Bay Area News Group reported.

The Sharks are suing BART and the Valley Transit Authority (VTA) to block the BART extension into San Jose and Santa Clara.

The hockey team alleges the transit agencies have not laid out a clear plan to deal with the loss of parking near the SAP Center in San Jose and the street closures that will likely result from the ongoing construction in this area.

The transit agencies recently approved this $4.7-billion project -- to build four new BART stations in the South Bay.  

According to BANG, on Thursday, the Sharks Sports & Entertainment company filed a lawsuit trying to stop all work until BART and the VTA have an adequate plan in place to deal with the disruptions near the SAP center.

This legal challenge also calls on the transit agencies to show they can provide enough parking for BART riders -- without impacting neighbors and nearby businesses.  

This lawsuit could delay the recently approved BART extension to the South Bay -- and jeopardize federal funding for the project.  

VTA is not commenting on the suit — and early Friday morning, BART did not immediately respond for comment.