New UP bridge in service, part of SCVTA Mission Warren area improvements

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
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SCVTA

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (SCVTA) celebrated a major project milestone for the Mission Warren Area Improvements Project in southern Fremont, Calif., when the first Union Pacific freight train traveled over one of the two recently completed bridges, spanning Mission Boulevard and Warren Avenue.

 

Shifting the UP freight trains to the new alignment of tracks allows SCVTA’s contractor to demolish the old freight bridge over Mission Boulevard. Once this is completed in November, crews will start widening the roadway, including the on/off ramps to Kato Road. This important milestone marks the relocation of UP from SCVTA’s Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Silicon Valley operating corridor in all but one location, currently located in Milpitas near Montague Expressway.

With the trains now operating on the new bridge over Warren Avenue, the contractor can complete the roadway construction, which will grade separate the railroad tracks and future BART tracks from vehicle traffic, which will travel under a depressed roadway. Warren Avenue is expected to reopen in June 2014, while project completion is slated for early 2015.

“This crucial milestone allows the project to move forward on time and within budget,” says Michael Burns, SCVTA general manager. “Meeting this milestone is also essential to delivering the BART Silicon Valley Berryessa Extension project to the citizens of Santa Clara County.”

The Mission Warren Area Improvements Project will enable frequent BART service in the future, increase safety and reduce traffic congestion. The project is a joint effort by the city of Fremont, Alameda County Transportation Commission, California Department of Transportation and SCVTA.

 

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