Grade separation on California high-speed rail project now open

The Avenue 151/2 Grade Separation in Madera County, Calif.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority), in collaboration with contractor Tutor-Perini/Zachry/Parsons, announced the Avenue 15½ Grade Separation in Madera County is now open to traffic.

The new overpass is located at Road 29/Santa Fe Drive, east of the city of Madera. It took 16 precast concrete girders and nearly 117 precast concrete deck panels to complete the structure, which spans 468 ft, is 40 ft wide and takes traffic over the existing BNSF rail and future high-speed rail lines. 

Completing another structure in the Central Valley is the latest sign of progress for the high-speed rail project. At its Board of Directors meeting earlier this month, the Authority awarded two contracts to advance design along the Merced-to-Madera and Fresno-to-Bakersfield Locally Generated Alternative project sections, expanding the 119-mile segment to 171 miles of electrified high-speed rail under development and construction.

Read more articles on bridges/tunnels.