Spring 2024

All 264 pre-cast girders needed for the pergola section of the Tule River Viaduct have been installed. Crews are now working on the formwork for the upper edge beams of the structure, the portion of the structure that provides support and ties the pre-cast concrete girders together. Tub girders will be placed next on the northern and south approaches of the structure, near Avenue 144 to the north and Tule River to the south. When complete, the Tule River Viaduct will be 3,573 feet long, taking high-speed trains over SR 43, the BNSF train tracks, and the Tule River.

To date, 740 pre-cast concrete girders have been installed to form the superstructure of the Hanford Viaduct. Between Grangeville and the San Joaquin Valley Railroad, crews will begin to work on the parapet walls later this spring. Further south on Lacey Boulevard, crews are working on the columns needed to extend the viaduct over the highway. Earlier this spring, crews were seen placing concrete to form columns in the median of the highway. In the coming weeks, crews will work at night to place the first pre-cast concrete girders over the highway. The Hanford Viaduct is the largest high-speed rail structure currently underway spanning 6,330 feet long.

Construction at the Whitley Avenue Underpass is underway near the city of Corcoran. The underpass is located between SR 43 and Fourth Avenue, also known as SR 137. Excavation efforts are completed and
41,000 cubic yards of dirt was relocated and imported to the future Curved Bridge construction site. Substructure work has commenced and the structure is anticipated to be completed by the end of the year.

Crews are working on the substructure of the Deer Creek Viaduct in Tulare County. To date, crews have completed 33 of the 43 columns needed for the substructure. The Deer Creek Viaduct will span approximately 3,000-feet long and will take high-speed rail over the water way.

The Flint Avenue overcrossing in Kings County is nearly complete. Crews are working on paving and striping the structure ahead of opening the bridge and roadway to traffic. Flint Avenue is expected to open to traffic later this spring. When complete, the overcrossing will span 205 feet long and more than 40-feet wide.

Another 16 girders were placed for the grade separation at Mountain View Avenue. Similar to Floral Avenue, concrete has been placed for the diaphragms, and crews are now working on the deck of the structure. Crews will also place concrete for the bridge deck at Mountain View in the coming weeks.

Take a drive down State Route 43 and you will see that the Tied Arch Bridge is now extended over the highway. In March, all 28 girders were placed for the superstructure that will take high-speed rail over the highway. The Tied Arch Bridge will span 249-feet long and will take high-speed trains up and over the highway.

Work is progressing at two neighboring Fresno County high-speed rail grade separations in Construction Package 2-3. In March, all 16 pre-cast concrete girders were placed at the Floral Avenue Grade Separation in Fresno County. Manufactured by Dragados-Flatiron Joint Venture, girders range from 60-130 feet long and weigh as much as 140,000 lbs. Crews have also completed the diaphragms – the components of the bridge that braces the girders together – and placed all concrete deck panels. Crews are now tying rebar for the deck of the bridge and will place concrete for the bridge deck in the coming weeks.

The Conejo Viaduct in Fresno County continues to take shape. All tub girders on the north and south sides of the viaduct sections have been placed, all pre-cast and transported to the construction site by contractor Dragados-Flatiron Joint Venture. Across the pergola section, crews are installing stay-in-place metal decking formwork for concrete to be placed for the deck, the section high-speed trains will travel in the future. To date, more than 500 cubic yards of concrete have been placed on the deck of the pergola. More concrete will be placed throughout the spring and summer.

Crews have been hard at work the last few months at Central Avenue in Fresno County. Rebar and concrete have been placed to form the abutment wall on the west side of the structure. The columns are formed at each of the bents and crews are now working to tie rebar to form the bent caps. PG&E utility relocation in the area was also completed in March, which will allow crews to begin building embankment walls and the embankments of the structure. When completed, the Central Avenue Grade Separation will be 432-feet long, more than 40-feet wide and will take traffic over the high-speed rail and BNSF tracks.

There are multiple utility relocations ongoing near the Church Avenue Grade Separation, including the installation of new sewer lines being installed under the BNSF railroad tracks. Crews are also working with Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District to complete its largest jack and bore – a method of horizontal boring for utility construction – under the Union Pacific Railroad Tracks. Majority of the utility work is expected to be  completed this fall, and substructure work will begin shortly after. When complete, the Church Avenue Grade Separation will take traffic over the existing Union Pacific and BNSF train tracks, along with the future high-speed rail tracks.

This April, crews are working overnight to place 14 of the 28 pre-cast concrete girders needed for the superstructure of the Belmont Avenue Grade Separation. These girders range from 148 to 158-feet long, are nearly 6-feet tall, and can weigh as much as 185,000 lbs. each. Crews have completed the foundation for the abutment on the east side of the structure and are currently installing rebar and forming the abutment wall.

At Avenue 17 in Madera County, crews have placed concrete for both abutments and the seven columns needed for the substructure of the future overpass. Crews are now completing the bent caps, the portion on top of the columns that girders will be placed on in the near future. When completed, Avenue 17 will become a thru road taking traffic over the BNSF railroad and future high-speed rail tracks. The overcrossing will span 614-feet long when completed.

Several public meetings have been held in Madera County to inform the community of construction of a grade separation on Road 26. When completed, the future structure will be a three-lane roadway and span 636-feet long, improving safety in the area for motorists and pedestrians by taking them over the existing BNSF railroad and future high-speed rail tracks. All utility relocations, including Comcast and PG&E have been completed. Temporary signals along the detour route in the area have also been installed for traffic flow.