$54MM Awarded for Madera High-Speed Rail Station Project
Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
Phase 2 of the Madera High-Speed Rail Station Project
Courtesy of San Joaquin JPA
MADERA COUNTY - U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif) announced both the Contra Costa Transportation Authority and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will receive $220.6 million in federal funding for I-680 Improvements and Central Valley High-Speed Rail.
These funds come through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Infrastructure Project Assistance (MEGA) Program. According to the press release, $166 million of the allocated funding will go toward completing the “northbound I-680 express lane gap from California State Route (SR) 24 to SR-242 and to convert the existing northbound high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane from SR-242 to north of Arthur Road into an express lane.” Additionally, the project seeks to construct a braided ramp system between North Main Street and Treat Boulevard interchanges in Walnut Creek.
More than $54 million will go toward the Madera High-Speed Rail Station Project to “construct a high-speed rail station for the Merced-Bakersfield California High-Speed Rail Interim Service.” This project includes the design and construction of the Madera Station by way of improving the relocated Madera Amtrak Station. These improvements include new platforms, an overhead contact system, track work, a bus depot, along with expanded parking and a station building.
According to a report in the Fresno Bee, the station is located along the BNSF right-of-way and will be relocated eight miles to the southeast in 2025. The station will be between the existing BNSF line and the future high-speed rail line.
Phase 1 of the project encompasses the station construction and is slated to finish in the middle of 2025. The second phase of the project is expected to cost $130 million and will expand the station site to serve high-speed trains.
Senator Padilla said, “Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, California commuters will get where they need to go faster, and we will improve connectivity across the Bay Area and San Joaquin Valley. . . Decongesting I-680 is essential to preventing delays and bolstering driver safety and efficiency along this busy corridor. The Madera high-speed rail station is a key component of the upcoming Merced-Bakersfield high-speed rail service and will create better transportation options, good-paying construction jobs, and cleaner air for Central Valley residents.”
