San Joaquin River Viaduct

Site of the bridge just prior to construction. The existing Union Pacific Railroad and California State Route 99 bridges are visible to the left.

The San Joaquin River Viaduct is a bridge currently under construction to carry California High-Speed Rail over the San Joaquin River. Most of the bridge is in the city of Fresno, California in Fresno County, although the portion north of the river will be in Madera County. It is the second major river crossing to be constructed as part of California High-Speed Rail, after the Fresno River Viaduct to the north.[1]

The bridge will be 4,740 feet (1,440 m) long, and combines a double concrete arch span crossing the river with a pergola structure to carry the tracks laterally over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks.[2][3] It will also cross Herndon Avenue and Golden State Boulevard,[4] with the Herndon Avenue overpass eliminating the last at-grade rail crossing in the city of Fresno.[5] The river crossing is immediately upstream of the Union Pacific Railroad and California State Route 99 crossings of the San Joaquin River.[1][6]

In 2012, the City of Fresno recommended building a through arch bridge with return arches to transition gracefully to the flanking box girder bridge segments, due to its visual appeal as a signature element along the northern approach to Fresno.[6] However, conceptual drawings in 2016 showed a different arch structure lacking the return arch transitions.[2]

The bridge is part of Construction Package 1, the contract for which was awarded in August 2013.[1] Preliminary statnamic load testing on the riverbed occurred in February 2015 to test the stability of the bridge foundation in an earthquake.[4] Construction began in April 2016, and was expected to take 2–3 years to complete.[2][3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Construction Package One Overview" (PDF). California High-Speed Rail Authority. January 2015. Retrieved 2016-05-30.
  2. 1 2 3 "San Joaquin River Viaduct". California High-Speed Rail Authority. Retrieved 2016-05-30.
  3. 1 2 Lurie, George (April 21, 2016). "Rail projects begin to alter Valley landscape, impact local businesses". The Business Journal. Retrieved 2016-05-30.
  4. 1 2 Sheehan, Tim (February 26, 2015). "Rail contractors test bridge piling near San Joaquin River". Fresno Bee. Retrieved 2016-05-30.
  5. ↑ "Fresno-Madera Area: Ongoing and Upcoming Construction Projects" (PDF). California High-Speed Rail Authority. March 17, 2016. Retrieved 2016-05-30.
  6. 1 2 "City of Fresno Design Guidelines: California High-Speed Train Project" (PDF). City of Fresno. June 15, 2012. Retrieved 2016-06-03.

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