August 2018 Edition

At the San Joaquin River Viaduct, workers continue pouring concrete for the pergola deck that will carry high-speed trains over the existing rail line. On the south bank of the San Joaquin River, crews are finishing up construction of pier caps to tie together the few remaining support columns, while on the north bank of the river, the final pier cap has been poured. The cast-in-place construction of the deck follows completion of the pier caps, tying all the individual components of the structure together. The completed viaduct will form one of the largest structures on this first phase of the high-speed rail project.

At the Fresno Trench beneath State Route 180 (SR 180), crews have approximately 20 feet more to excavate before they reach the bottom of the trench where a concrete box will be constructed that will carry the trains. Further north, an intrusion protection barrier is largely complete that will make sure high-speed and freight trains stay separated in the event of an accident. When complete, the trench will cross under SR 180, a rail spur and the Dry Creek Canal.

At the Cedar Viaduct, construction crews have begun to extend the structure across State Route 99 south of Fresno. Rebar for support piers is springing up on either side of State Route 99, as ironworkers construct the columns that will soon be filled with concrete. Drilling in the median for pier foundations has also begun at night to minimize disruption to highway traffic from lane closures. The viaduct will eventually be connected to the Muscat Viaduct a little further to the south.

At the northern end of Construction Package 1, the overcrossing for Road 27 in Madera County continues to take shape as crews build the support structures for the coming placement of concrete girders. Due to the geometry of Road 27 as it crosses the railroad tracks, the spans of this bridge are very long. Contractor TPZP is using precast spliced girders for the superstructure to achieve the distances needed. Shorter precast girders will be set on temporary falsework bents, which are being built between the concrete bents. Once the girders have been set beginning in August, they will be post-tensioned and the ends enclosed in concrete to form the superstructure. Underground utility work is also ongoing on the south side of the job site. Once the remaining utility relocations are complete, access roads for local homes and embankment will begin. Ultimately, the bridge will be over 700 feet long with the longest span stretching 198 feet.

At Avenue 15, just east of Road 29 in Madera County, concrete has been poured for the west side abutment footing, while on the east side, a cast in-place wall will be constructed on either side of the abutment once it has been built. The piers for a supporting bent structure have been poured and falsework will be erected to form the bent cap. Eventually, concrete girders will link the abutments with the supporting bent to form the superstructure of the bridge.

Crews have now set the girders for the section of the Avenue 12 overcrossing that goes over the BNSF freight tracks, and continue to tie rebar for an eventual concrete pour at the deck section further to the west. The crossing just east of Madera Community College, will take traffic over the high-speed rail alignment and the freight tracks. Construction has also begun on the cast-in-place walls extending off the abutments, which will retain the earthen embankment.

Also in Madera County, crews have constructed the bridge deck for the Avenue 11 overcrossing and are getting it ready for a concrete pour planned within the next few weeks. This crossing, east of Road 30 ½, will take traffic over the high-speed rail alignment.

At Avenue 8 in Madera County, the precast deck panels which act as the underside (or soffit) of the bridge deck have been set and crews are tying deck rebar for a single span bridge east of State Route 99. The block retaining walls have been completed on either side of the abutments and fill dirt placed to finish the slope leading up to the bridge. The concrete deck pour will be completed after Avenue 11.

At Avenue 7 and Road 33 in Madera County, concrete girders have been set to begin construction of the upper portion of the bridge known as the superstructure. Deck panels for this structure have been set on both spans. This crossing will straighten out a bend in Avenue 7 while realigning Road 33 and allow traffic to cross over the high-speed rail tracks east of State Route 99.

On Construction Package 4, just north of Wasco in Kern County, crews have been drilling shafts, setting rebar columns and pouring concrete for the foundation of a structure that will carry high-speed trains over Pond Road. A total of 10 shafts were drilled and poured on the north side of the roadway while another eight had to be constructed on the south side.