Costa has a new plan for high-speed rail through Fresno. Here’s how much it’ll cost
About a year after California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state would focus on a high-speed rail track from Merced to Bakersfield, Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, is proposing new funding to connect the train to its original destinations.
After years of planning to run the train from San Francisco to Los Angeles, Newsom said in his first State of the State address in 2019 that the plan was too grand for the money on hand. Merced-to-Bakersfield has been touted by the state High-Speed Rail Authority to be its first operational segment by 2028-29.
Costa on Friday unveiled the High-Speed Rail Corridor Development Act of 2020, proposed legislation to put $32 billion into federally designated high-speed rail corridors. The bill is aimed at completing the project’s original goal to connect Southern California and the Bay Area through the central San Joaquin Valley.
The train has been controversial in the state, drawing lawsuits and naysayers who call it a boondoggle. Costa on Friday said that’s true of any significant infrastructure project in the country’s history.
“Big projects are always hard,” Costa said. “They’re hard politically and they’re hard for other reasons. That’s why we all have to come together to support the boldness, the dreams and the vision.”
The rail authority expects to spend $12.4 billion in construction for three ongoing contracts and one more planned this year, according to its latest business plan.
The proposed legislation is endorsed by Newsom, according to Lenny Mendonca, who heads the state HSR board.
“What the governor said from the beginning is the way we’re going to get high-speed rail done is in building blocks,” Mendonca said. “The first building block of that is from Merced to Bakersfield. We’re committed to that and we’re delivering.””
Merced to Bakersfield
The rail authority last week released an early draft of its 2020 business plan, a document required every other year. The latest plan reflects Newsom’s announcement to focus on stretching the train from the downtowns of Merced to Bakersfield, about 52 miles longer than the previous planned boundaries.
Extending the line from 119 miles to 171 is expected to add another $4.8 billion to the costs in the Valley.
Assemblyman Jim Patterson, R-Fresno, said last week he was not impressed by the report. “The 2020 business plan is yet another make-believe document, like all the others before it,” Patterson said. “The project is falling apart, and the costs continue to climb.
“The Authority continues to hope billions will magically appear, while the fight to siphon off Central Valley dollars for Southern California rages on,” Patterson added. “It’s become a pathetic fight for the scraps of a failing project.”
Benefits
Costa said building the train does more than just connect the state, saying it has provided 3,500 jobs on 30 sites. About 500 small businesses have contracts with the project builders.
Costa also pointed to benefits the city of Fresno has seen that are related to the rail, like the assist of about $28 million from the California High-Speed Rail Authority for the Veterans Boulevard project. The 2.5-mile, six-lane roadway from Herndon and Polk avenues, east of Highway 99, will run to Shaw and Grantland avenues on the west side of the corridor.
“”It’s important we note these upgrades are taking place,” he said. “The benefits are undeniable.”
This story was originally published February 21, 2020 at 2:32 PM.
