Kraemer Boulevard is now open to traffic as Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) puts finishing touches on a new grade separation that separates car traffic from the busy freight rail line that now travels overhead.
Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) officials and city leaders from Fullerton, Placentia and Anaheim, Calif., marked the start of construction on the final three projects in the O.C. Bridges program with a groundbreaking ceremony May 9.
Drivers stuck at rail crossings in north Orange County, Calif., will soon find relief as the Orange County Transportation Authority kicks off a nearly $600 million program that will separate street traffic from trains at seven locations.
Known as the O.C. Bridges Program, the projects will eliminate the need for drivers to waste time idling at rail crossings, waiting for trains to pass.
"Making the important upgrades on these railroad crossings will positively benefit everyone impacted by delays on these crossings," said OCTA Chair Patricia Bates, also the Fifth District Supervisor. "This project will benefit pedestrians, motorists and residents alike by enhancing safety, eliminating traffic delays and improving the quality of life."
OCTA is working to improve traffic flow and safety at seven crossings along the BNSF rail line in Anaheim, Fullerton and Placentia by building a series of bridges, both underpasses and overpasses, to separate car traffic from trains.
Placentia Avenue, which borders the cities of Fullerton and Placentia, and Kramer Boulevard are the first of the seven projects to begin construction. The additional crossings will begin construction on a staggered basis over the next two years and include Orangethorpe Avenue, Tustin Avenue/Rose Drive, Lakeview Avenue, Raymond Avenue and State College Boulevard.
Nearly 70 trains a day travel along the BNSF rail line through Anaheim, Fullerton and Placentia and that number is anticipated to increase more than 45 percent by 2030; meaning every 10 minutes a train will be blocking each intersection.
"Without the bridges, drivers would be stuck at blocked intersections waiting for passing trains," said OCTA CEO Will Kempton. "Orange County’s economy and communities are second to none and we have to ensure our transportation system supports our growing area. These grade separation projects will have a lasting impact on drivers and I am excited to see them get under way."
Transportation projects throughout Orange County received an added boost when the California Transportation Commission allocated nearly $140 million to fund construction. The projects awarded are part of the State Transportation Improvement Program and voter-approved Proposition 1B, a $20 billion bond program to fund transportation projects throughout the state.
The commission allocated the money as a result of state bond sales last month.
In addition to the $69 million awarded to a road project, OCTA rail projects that received funding include:
• $29.2 million for construction of the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center
• $22.6 million for the Kraemer Boulevard railroad grade separation
• $15 million for the Placentia Avenue railroad grade separation
• $2 million for rail crossing improvements in San Clemente and Dana Point
• $1 million for signal synchronization
Since its passage in 2006, more than $7 billion in Prop 1B funds has been allocated, including more than $420 million for Orange County projects.
The Orange County, Calif.,
Transportation Authority has received $357 million from the state for freeway
and rail projects, the Orange County Local News Network reported. The
California Transportation Commission sold bonds last month to free up the money
for OCTA.
ORANGE COUNTY – Crews finished work on the 200-foot-long catchment wall that will protect the rail right of way in San Clemente. This comes after a landslide caused passenger service to halt in January.
ORANGE – Amtrak Pacific Surfliner is scheduled to resume limited passenger service through San Clemente beginning Wednesday morning (March 6), as work continues to build a catchment wall at Mariposa Point to protect the rail right of way.
SAN CLEMENTE – Two large rigs began drilling so steel beams can be placed 30 feet underground to support the catchment wall in San Clemente.
SAN CLEMENTE – As early as February 27th, crews could begin drilling for beams to support a catchment wall. This comes a month after another landslide in San Clemente.
SAN CLEMENTE – Freight operations have stopped overnight after crews documented continued slope movement.
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. –– The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) and the LOSSAN Rail Corridor (Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo) are working together on an Orange County Coastal Rail Resiliency Study. The study began in November 2023 and completion is expected in Fall 2025. OCTA is studying rail challenges in south Orange County to assess existing and future environmental risks and issues with operations and maintenance along the LOSSAN Rail Corridor. The study will evaluate strategies to address these challenges.
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. – OCTA gives an update on the San Clemente landslide, and an incoming storm system will bring additional rainfall and increase the risk of a mudslide in the area.
LOS ANGELES – While Tropical Storm Hilary’s heavy rains and winds lashed the southern California coast, the rail system was spared from damage according to news reports from the region.
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. – The Orange County Transportation Authority is pushing forward on studying solutions to protect the vital coastal rail line that connects passengers, freight and military assets from San Diego County to Orange County and important destinations farther north.
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. – Track relocation is a possibility after historic rainfall, eroding bluffs, and landslides have posed a danger to the existing line.
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. – A landslide halts Amtrak and Metrolink service in Orange County.
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. – The rail line through San Clemente was set to reopen for passenger rail service on Saturday, May 27, as emergency work has stabilized a hillside north of the Pier that last month scattered debris into the rail right of way below.
The railroad stabilization project planned on a coastal hillside in San Clemente will involve the preservation of native habitat near the San Luis Rey River in Oceanside.
San Diego’s North County Transit District has planned maintenance and infrastructure enhancements for two rail lines in March along the coastal rail corridor.
The Orange County Transportation Authority’s San Clemente slope stabilization project is facing further delays to restore its service between San Diego and Orange counties following several days of heavy rain.
