Valley Link Hires Kevin Sheridan

Press release from Livermore:

June 18, 2021

Livermore, CA, June 10, 2021 – The Tri-Valley – San Joaquin Valley Regional Rail
Authority (Valley Link) Board of Directors this week approved the hiring of Kevin
Sheridan to fill the agency’s Deputy Executive Director/Program Manager position.
Sheridan comes to the Valley Link project with over twenty years working in
transportation project delivery, from project inception to construction completion. Since
2017, he has served as Director, Capital Projects Program for the San Joaquin
Regional Rail Commission (ACE Rail). Prior to his employment with ACE, Sheridan
worked in project management positions with the San Joaquin County Council of
Governments for 10 years and with Caltrans for seven years.

In introducing the recommended action, Tracy Mayor Pro Tem Veronica Vargas, who
serves as Chair of the Valley Link Board, said “I had the pleasure last week to meet with
Kevin and was personally impressed by his skill level, his knowledge, and how
passionate he is about this project. He has been working for quite some time in the
industry and he is very well respected. I think he will be the person to take us to the
finish line on this project.”

Michael Tree, Valley Link’s Executive Director, recommended the hiring to the Valley
Link Board, noting that “Among the outstanding candidates we interviewed, what really
stood out about Keven was three things. First, he is currently overseeing $1.5 billion in
rail construction projects for the San Joaquin Regional Rail Authority so he has
experience managing projects similar in magnitude to Valley Link. Second, he has had
extensive experience working with Union Pacific (UP) Railroad and that relationship will
be vital in developing the part of the project that is in UP right of way. Finally, Kevin
managed highway projects while at Caltrans and that experience will be essential in
designing the part of the project that falls in the I-580 median.”

The 42-mile 7-station Valley Link commuter rail service will provide 74 daily round trips
and is expected to carry more than 33,000 daily riders by 2040. The project is expected
to result in the reduction of approximately 141 million vehicle miles traveled per year by
2040, which will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The first Valley Link
trains could be placed into service in 2028.

This press release was produced by Livermore. The views expressed here are the author’s own.