California High-Speed Rail Authority Receives $202M for Six Grade Separations
Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
California High-Speed Rail tweeted out that it has received over $200 million in CRISI funding to complete six grade separations in Shafter.
Courtesy of California High-Speed Rail Authority
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Yesterday, California High-Speed Rail tweeted out that it has received over $200 million in CRISI funding to complete six grade separations in Shafter.
Yesterday, California High-Speed Rail tweeted out that it has received over $200 million in CRISI funding to complete six grade separations in Shafter.
In a news release, it detailed the $202 million in funding received from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The funds will go toward expanding construction of high-speed rail via six grade separations. The grant came from the CRISI program, or the 2022 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements program and is “the largest award the Authority has received since the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.”
California Governor, Gavin Newsom, stated: “This grant is the latest evidence that my Administration and the Biden-Harris Administration are in lock-step when it comes to building innovative, clean transportation projects for the future. . . These dollars signal our shared strong commitment to advance clean, electrified high-speed rail into the heart of some of the largest and fastest growing cities in California by the end of this decade. I welcome the federal government’s continued support for this major infrastructure project for Californians.”
The grant provides funding for the design, right-of-way purchases and construction of six grade separations in Kern County, in the city of Shafter. These will separate pedestrian/car traffic from freight and passenger traffic. The six grade separations will be located at:
- Poplar Avenue
- Fresno Avenue
- Shafter Avenue
- Central Avenue
- Lerdo Highway
- Riverside Street
These six grade separations are among the “first to be funded outside of active construction underway along 119 miles in the Central Valley, signaling a strong federal commitment to advance the nation’s first 220 mph electrified high-speed rail operating segment between Merced, Fresno, and Bakersfield.”
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO, Brian Kelly, said: “With the southernmost 22-mile stretch of active construction due to be complete this fall, this latest federal commitment represents a major step forward in our effort to deliver passenger service in California. . . We look forward to this continued partnership with the Biden-Harris Administration.”
This news release comes after Rail Safety Week, and these grade separations will eliminate “street-level crossings at intersections along a busy freight rail corridor, preparing communities for future 220 mph high-speed train service and improving safety, air quality, and mobility.”
California High-Speed Rail Authority has said it will begin construction on these grade separations in August of 2025 with a projected completion date of August 2028.The CRISI fact sheet can be found here.
