Tule River Viaduct

In Tulare County, crews continue to erect falsework across the pergola section of the Tule River Viaduct. North of the structure, ironworkers have begun tying rebar for the lower edge beams of the pergola section. The Tule River Viaduct is located south of Avenue 144 / Poplar Avenue and State Route 43, to the south of the Tule River. When complete, the structure will be more than 3,573 feet long.

In Tulare County, crews have completed more than 100 Cast-in-Drilled-Holes to provide the foundation of the Tule River Viaduct. CIDH piles can be as large as 11-feet in diameter and are drilled up to 200-feet deep. Across the structure, crews are installing rebar and placing concrete to form the footings and future columns. As of Spring 2022, 32 of the 75 columns of needed for the Tule River Viaduct are now complete. Crews will be gearing up to install the falsework necessary to form the pergola section of the structure later this spring.

At the Tule River Viaduct south of the City of Corcoran, crews continue to excavate the bents by drilling cast-in-drilled holes (CIDH) for the foundation of the structure. You can see crews have already begun forming, installing rebar, and placing concrete for the columns on both sides of the BNSF rail line. Like other structures in Construction Package 2-3, the Tule River Viaduct will be a combination viaduct and pergola structure. More than 75 columns will need to be drilled and installed to carry high-speed trains over the existing BNSF rail line, State Route 43, and the Tule River. When complete, the Tule River Viaduct will be more than 3,573 feet long.

At the Tule River Viaduct in Tulare County, traffic has been rerouted to allow crews to begin substructure work including drilling and setting rebar cages for the future columns of the viaduct. More than 75 columns will need to be drilled and installed to carry high-speed trains over the existing BNSF rail line, State Route 43, and the Tule River. When complete, the Tule River Viaduct will be more than 3,573 feet long.

At the Avenue 144/Tule River Viaduct (pictured in rendering) in Tulare County, crews from Martinez Steel are tying rebar for a multi-cell reinforced box culvert, a structure that will allow water and wildlife to cross below the high-speed rail alignment. More than 800 cubic-yards of concrete will be placed for the base of the culvert. When completed, the culvert will be more than 12-feet high, 112-feet wide, and 101-feet long.

To the south, crews have begun paving for what will be the temporary State Route 43. In the near future, the highway will be shifted to the east to allow for construction of the future viaduct.

At the Tule River Viaduct in Tulare County, subcontractors are working on drilling more than 150 cast-in-drilled-hole (CIDH) piles to provide the foundation of the future high-speed rail structure. Each pile ranges from 60 to 200 feet in length. These piles will form the bents of the substructure. The Tule River Viaduct will carry high-speed trains from the east to the west side of the BNSF freight line, and across State Route 43.