Road 26 finally completed

The California High-Speed Rail Authority announced completion of the Road 26 grade separation project in Madera County, marking what they said is the 60th completed structure within the first 119 miles of active high-speed rail construction in the Central Valley.

As construction advances, the project continues generating thousands of good-paying jobs and billions in economic activity statewide, according to the Authority.

Grade separation in civil engineering is a method of aligning a junction of two or more surface transport axes at different heights (grades) so they will not disrupt the traffic flow on other transit routes when they cross one another.

“Madera County will see immediate benefits from this new grade separation,” said Ed Fenn, Chief of Construction.

“Traffic flow along Road 26 will improve and pedestrians – including students who attend the elementary school less than a mile away – will no longer have to walk across dangerous railroad tracks each day. This milestone reflects the continued support and leadership at the state level, including Governor Newsom, who has helped advance high-speed rail progress in the Central Valley.”

In Madera County, grade separations like Road 26 are estimated to reduce accidents, fatalities, injuries and property damage, providing an estimated public benefit of approximately $127 million over 30 years, an Authority statement said.

The Road 26 grade separation is located between Club Drive and Avenue

18 ½, north of Madera. The three-land structure spans 636 feet and is 68 feet wide. Officials said it will improve safety by allowing pedestrians and vehicular traffic to travel over the existing BNSF railroad and the future high-speed rail tracks.

The structure is reportedly comprised of more than 6,500 cubic yards of concrete along with 1,175,281 pounds of steel, nearly 90,000 yards of embankment or compacted material and 49 precast concrete girders.

“We are delighted the Road 26 grade separation project has been completed and is open to the public,” said Madera County Supervisor Rob Poythress.

“The overpass improves safety and eliminates delays caused by the Gold Runner Amtrak operation as well as future high-speed rail trains. I appreciate the communication the County of Madera has with the Authority’s management and their commitment to ensuring the overpass was safe and stable before opening to traffic.”

Last year, the Authority announced completion of the Avenue 17 grade separation located a few miles from Road 26. Other high-speed rail grade separations in Madera County are on Avenue 15 and Avenue 15 ½. The Avenue 12 grade separation located near Madera Community College was completed in 2022. Additional completed high-speed rail grade separations can be seen from Highway 99 between Avenue 7 and Avenue 11.

High-Speed Rail progress

Work continues daily on the high-speed rail project, officials said, with 171 miles currently under design and construction from Merced to Bakersfield.

More than 80 miles of guideway are complete along with 60 fully completed major structures and 30 more structures underway across Madera, Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties.

The project continues to advance statewide with 463 miles of the 494-mile San Francisco to Los Angeles/Anaheim system fully environmentally cleared and construction ready.

Throughout construction the project has created nearly 19,200 good-paying jobs, proponents said, most filled by Central Valley residents. And it’s said to have generated nearly $25 million in economic impact and growth across the state. Up to 1,700 workers report to high-speed rail construction sites each day.

For the latest on high-speed rail construction visit www.buildhsr.com.