High-speed rail work causing road closures in Fresno area. Here’s where they’re happening
From one end of the central San Joaquin Valley to the other, the ongoing construction of California’s high-speed rail project is creating obstacles for drivers along the route of the future tracks.
Many of the latest work sites announced recently by the California High-Speed Rail Authority and its contractors will disrupt traffic for up to a few weeks. But others are expected to take months to complete. Still others that have been under way for more than a year are taking far longer than originally anticipated.
In downtown Fresno and the neighboring Chinatown district, for example, Tulare and Ventura streets – major arteries to Highway 99 – have been shut down for about two years for construction of new underpasses that will carry automobile traffic under the high-speed rail line, as well as the adjacent Union Pacific Railroad freight tracks
“It has taken a little longer than we anticipated” to finish the Tulare and Ventura underpasses, high-speed rail Central Valley regional director Garth Fernandez said recently. “But on the schedule we have now, we should be completed with Tulare (Street) and opening it in the first quarter of 2024.”
“And then once we open Tulare, Ventura is going to reopen four to six months after that,” Fernandez added. “Then work will begin on the Fresno Street undercrossing.”
Work on the Tulare and Ventura underpasses was originally anticipated to begin in late 2017, but was slowed by delays in relocating other utilities in the area, including underground gas and electric lines, to make way for the major construction. By 2021, work was underway, with completion initially expected by the summer and fall of 2022 – a time frame that has come and gone.
Other high-speed rail-related road work in the region includes:
- Barstow Avenue, northwest Fresno: Road closure for road work between San Madele Avenue and Golden State Boulevard, July 27-Aug. 18.
- Belmont Avenue, central Fresno: Lane and shoulder closures for utility relocation work on Belmont between Parkway Drive and the on-ramp to northbound Highway 99; closure of the southbound Highway 99 off-ramp to Belmont Avenue, July 26-Aug. 28.
- Belmont Avenue / Weber Avenue / H Street area, central Fresno: Intermittent closure of Safford Avenue between Belmont and Thomas avenues; intermittent lane closures on Belmont between Farris and Wilson avenues; intermittent lane closures on Belmont westbound between Weber and Palm avenues; intermittent shoulder closures along Weber Avenue southbound south of Belmont; intermittent lane closures at the southeast corner of Belmont Avenue and H Street; intermittent lane closures of northbound H Street between Belmont and Palm avenues; intermittent lane closures of Weber Avenue southbound between Belmont and Harrison avenues; intermittent closure of Weber Avenue southbound between Thomas Avenue and H Street; intermittent shoulder closure along southbound Weber Avenue between Arthur Avenue and H Street; intermittent closure of Farris and Harrison avenues north of Belmont Avenue; intermittent lane closures on Palm Avenue between Dudley and Franklin avenues, nighttime 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. through Aug. 31.
- Golden State Boulevard / Herndon Avenue, northwest Fresno: Lane closures for utility relocation work on Golden State between the Highway 99 off-ramp and Herndon Avenue; shoulder and sidewalk closures between Kathryn and Herndon avenues, nighttime from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. through Aug. 7.
- Golden State Boulevard / Church Avenue / Jensen Avenue, south Fresno: Intermittent lane and shoulder closures for road work along Golden State between Cherry and Jensen avenues; lane and sidewalk closures along Church Avenue between Sarah Street and Golden State; road closure along Golden State between Cherry and East avenues; road closure along Church Avenue between Sarah Street and Golden State.
- H Street, downtown Fresno: Intermittent lane closures for utility relocation work along H Street between Divisadero Street and Palm Avenue, daytime 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Sept. 29.
- McKinley Avenue / Golden State Boulevard, central Fresno: Road closure for utility relocation work on McKinley Avenue between West Avenue and Highway 99; lane and shoulder closures on Golden State from the Highway 99 on-ramp to south of McKinley Avenue; lane and sidewalk closures on McKinley between West and Fay avenues, July 28-30.
- Shaw Avenue, northwest Fresno: Lane and shoulder closures for utility relocation work along westbound Shaw between Cornelia Avenue and Golden State Boulevard, nighttime from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Aug. 3.
- Avenue 17, north of Madera: Avenue 17 closed between Road 27 and the BNSF Railway tracks for construction of a grade separation, through Dec. 31.
- Avenue 120, south of Corcoran in Tulare County: Avenue 120 closed between Highway 43 and Road 24 for construction of a high-speed rail overcrossing, through December 2025.
The rail authority and its contractors report that traffic signs are up that will direct drivers through or around the construction areas. They added that the construction schedules may be subject to change.
Construction is under way at a cost of about $20 billion for 119 miles of the future rail route from north of Madera to northwest of Bakersfield – part of what is expected to become the first operational segment of 170 miles from Merced to Bakersfield. The latest estimated price tag for the Merced-Bakersfield stretch, including eventual installation of rails and purchase of trains, falls in a range between $30 million and $33 million, with operations expected to commence between 2030 and 2033.
Details on construction projects for the high-speed rail program in the Valley are available online at buildhsr.com.
This story was originally published July 26, 2023 at 7:31 AM.
