The State Route 43 at Jersey Avenue grade separation is now open to traffic, improving safety and supporting future high speed rail operations.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority has completed another major infrastructure milestone with the opening of the State Route 43 at Jersey Avenue grade separation in Kings County.
The project brings the total number of completed structures along the first 119 miles of active high-speed rail construction in California’s Central Valley to 61. The new overpass opened to traffic on 20 May and forms a key part of the future high-speed rail corridor between Merced and Bakersfield.
Located between Jackson Avenue and Kent Avenue, the two lane bridge spans 437 feet in length and more than 43 feet in width. The structure carries highway traffic over the future high-speed rail alignment and is one of two grade separations planned in Kings County.
California high-speed rail construction reaches another milestone
The bridge was built using a cast in place box girder design and required more than 575,000 pounds of steel and approximately 2,400 cubic yards of concrete. The project also involved significant earthworks to support the surrounding transport infrastructure.
Ed Fenn said the new structure would improve road safety, traffic flow and connectivity for local communities, businesses and agricultural operations.
The Authority highlighted wider safety benefits associated with grade separation projects in Kings County, including an estimated $137 million in public safety savings over 30 years and the prevention of approximately 670 potential collisions involving fatalities, injuries or property damage.
The opening follows the recent completion of the Road 26 grade separation in Madera County and the Ventura Avenue underpass in Fresno. Together, these projects continue to advance construction progress across the state’s largest rail infrastructure programme.
Work is currently underway across 171 miles of the route between Merced and Bakersfield. More than 80 miles of guideway have now been completed, while 30 additional major structures remain under construction across Madera, Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties.
The wider San Francisco to Los Angeles and Anaheim high-speed rail programme has now achieved environmental clearance on 463 of its planned 494 miles. The project has also generated nearly 19,200 jobs and delivered an estimated $25 billion in economic impact across California.
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